Unexpectedly
by Mademoiselle Anime Amour
Summary: Unexpectedly, Sayu fell in love with the last person she thought she could ever remotely like. After all, most girls go for their high school or college sweethearts. She had to go for the kidnapper of all people. Rated T for some rare swearing.
1. Stolen Away

**A/N: WOOT, it's great to be back in the Death Note fandom again! I've been so dependent on KH lately, that it was high time for this fic to be put out toward you guys, the masses. XD Hm, I doubt I'm going to live up to DEALTHY with this fic, I'm just saying that right now. I don't think anything can surpass that story. However, this IS a crack pairing story, so I just took a shot at it.**

**I'm sorry if this drags at the beginning at all, but I was trying (trying being the key word) to build suspense. I'm no Stephen King, who is awesome by the way. XD Anyway, I'm glad to be back.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**Edit 1/6/10: For the record, this story is NOT BY ANY MEANS COMPLETE! I was in too much of a rush and accidentally said it was complete. It's not at all. I'm sorry for the confusion this may have caused.**

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**Chapter 1: Stolen Away**

Sayu eyed the clock as it ticked mere seconds toward the final bell. Just ten more of those seconds, and the weekend would officially start. Of course, she would spend it at home, possibly visit a friend's house—basically, nothing extraordinary. Tapping her pencil impatiently, she distracted herself by glancing down at her algebra test she recently finished. She would probably be lucky if she received an 85 on it. Her grades seemed nothing compared to the great post-grad Light Yagami's. Whenever Sayu walked into the classrooms, every single teacher raved about her brother and his genius abilities. They practically expected her to achieve the same astronomically high standards as him. But, after two years of college passed unceremoniously, these teachers expressed nothing but crushing disappointment due to her average grades. The average grades had added to her average looks, average style, average friends, and average life.

Perhaps she, Sayu Yagami, was _too _average?

The bell she previously desired to ring finally signaled the end of classes for the two day weekend. At last, she could return home! Anxiously piling her heavy textbooks into her arms, she turned in her test to the professor and proceeded to set off for her house. As she retreated outside, one of her classmates tugged at her sleeve.

"What is it, Akita-chan?" Sayu inquired, looking over her shoulder while giggling at her friend's persistence to get her attention.

"I was thinking that we could hang out at my place! That way, we can also study together for that big history test on Monday."

Sayu groaned as she remembered that brief announcement toward the conclusion of that particular class. Monday tests were the worst! And to think, she hoped to enjoy her weekend devoid of studying. It sounded extremely unappealing to pore over her history textbook now, but she wanted to do well on this test. She could try to emulate Light, right? It surely couldn't be that difficult, and she wished to become at least half as intelligent as her brother.

"OK, sure. I'll call Mom and let her know where I'm going," she submitted reluctantly, taking out her cellphone, an object she rarely abandoned at home. This device served as yet another aspect of her overly boring, average life. Somewhere out there, something absolutely must exist that could eliminate this boring monotony. Sayu rested her faith in that one day, when everything changed.

For now, she resigned to living in the present by quickly dialing her home to inform her mother that she would return later than usual tonight. Shortly after Sachiko Yagami gave her consent for her daughter to stay a few hours at Akita's house, Sayu walked down the sidewalk with her good friend by her side. They spoke of trivial topics, mostly those from co-ed life, which Akita found rewarding due to its perks. She casually told Sayu of her college senior boyfriend, the star of To-Oh University's soccer team. How did her friend become as lucky as that? Then again, one's beau admittedly bored her, too. Lately, it seemed that everything and anything bored her. She resolved to half-listen to Akita's story while scanning her surroundings. Brightly, the sun shone today, the clouds lazily floating along in the vividly blue sky. And those clouds looked like puffy marshmallows big enough to eat, she assumed thoughtfully. What a perfect day...and yet exactly the same as all the others.

Sayu flipped back loose strands of her dark brunette hair that kept falling into her brown eyes. Sure, the other guys at school considered her a beauty, but only because her tresses distracted them. In fact, some of them had confessed to this during dates that she unenthusiastically went to, so as not to hurt their feelings. For some reason, though, these young men were the ones that ended up gaining _her _disapproval due to their ignorance. Occasionally, usually during lazy weekend afternoons, she couldn't help but dream regarding the perfect man. Some intelligence within his mind would be rather nice, once she reflected on it. Aside from that, she could care less about appearances.

"So," Akita interrupted her rapidly runaway thoughts, "I guess that Matsuda guy really likes you."

Sighing heavily, Sayu shook her head fondly at the young cop's mannerisms, though only looked upon him as a friend. She knew well enough psychologically to observe how Matsuda behaved around her, as though fascinated by her every move. Romantically, though, she possessed no interest in him, despite his cute sincerity. For one thing, there was a bit of an age difference—true, merely eleven years, but it felt like more. Besides, last week when Light, Misa, and the task force spent four hours at the Yagami home, she could tell her parents didn't care for Matsuda very much. Maybe that shouldn't matter, but Sayu was painfully traditional, no thanks to a boring life so far. Everything seemed to come back to that one irksome fact.

"He's just a friend, Akita. And, let's be honest here, he's thirty!"

"Love knows not of numbers, my friend," Akita airily replied.

Sayu could hardly resist laughing from this comment, even though it honestly wasn't the age that bothered her too much. If she found herself incapable of loving Matsuda, then she must be. In no hurry for dating seriously let alone marriage, she would bide her time until that day arrived. Until then, she fiercely denied the affections of young men her age. Cruel, she admitted to herself, but she would not allow such attachments before the right moment came. And who knew when that would happen?

"I'm serious, OK? I'm not that interested in anybody right now."

Akita mocked a doubtful snort. "You always say that! But, one of these days, Sayu, love is coming for you. When it does, let me assure you, it's going to come with a bang. Just warning you."

"Whatever you say, Akita-chan," Sayu responded with a shrug of her shoulders.

By that time, they reached their destination of Akita's house. Once there, the two girls studied the potential test material hard, though listened to the latest tunes that played on the music channel on TV. Sayu pretended that she didn't recognize the playfully angelic alto emitting from the current music video playing. The song was Misa Amane's latest smash hit "Can't Get Enough of Your Love." Obviously, she probably wrote that (did she even write her own music?) with Light in mind. Leave it to her perfect brother to go out with the most famous pop sensation in Japan to date. Truthfully, Sayu had often noticed Light's lack of enthusiasm toward Misa, which somewhat angered her. One would think that he would be grateful to even have a devoting girlfriend who would never run off to cheat on him. But, of course, if he dumped Misa, he could always find someone else.

As much as she loved her brother, Sayu could become rather disgusted toward him at times. She never had any idea why he could downright revolt her like that; he simply did due to his overzealous perfection. How could someone like him just be born impeccable and continue living life in that manner for years straight? She doubted she could, which caused her to be almost jealous of her brother, since he got all the attention and praise. While, on the contrary, she only received comments like, "Oh, Sayu, if you could do this one little thing right" or something to that effect.

"Hm, how's your brother getting along with his superstar girlfriend these days?" Akita asked, glancing up toward Misa's music video on TV while chewing on her pencil.

Even her friends brought Light up in conversation! This bothered Sayu more than usual.

"They're getting along great," she partially lied, ensuring to inject some apathy into her tone.

Her friend, aware of this severe lack of interest, merely nodded to acknowledge it and therefore dropped the subject. Three more hours passed with nothing of notable significance occurring, aside from Akita's parents returning from work. They all sat down to supper to eat a delicious homemade meal from Mrs. Uchida. More studying, considerably lighter than before luckily, followed along with typical female discussion. They had ascended the stairs to Akita's room by this time, but Sayu quit studying to focus on talking for once.

"You know, this is going to sound totally weird. But, I'm going to tell you what's been on my mind lately," she informed, resting on her back comfortably on the bed as she gazed at the ceiling. An impulse suggested that she confide in her friend regarding this. She hadn't told anybody else.

Languidly, Akita sat up on her knees, averting her gaze from the blaring television set in order to listen. She had a feeling that Sayu would reveal something that she would never share with anybody else. After all, Sayu was one of those people who preferred to keep her most intimate, private thoughts to herself. Apparently, tonight would be different.

"I've been thinking that my life is boring. Sure, people think that way sometimes. But, that seems to be my opinion all the time. I just wish that something crazy will happen to break up the monotony."

Puzzled, Akita contemplated what to say in response to her friend's explanation. Why would she even mention the tediousness of her life? Did being overshadowed by Light have something to do with it? Or perhaps this stemmed from the restless natures of college students.

Curious as to why Sayu would bring up this topic, Akita finally gave her reply. "Look, I'm not quite sure why you'd feel that way, but be careful what you wish for. I mean, that crazy thing might be kind of scary. I don't really know how else to say it."

Sayu glanced toward the TV while she sat up. "Well, in my life, most of the time I'm known as Light's sister. People don't even care about my name. And I feel way too average. That's what I mean by my life being boring. You get what I'm saying, Akita-chan?"

"I think I do. I doubt I could relate, though. Sorry."

"It's no problem." Sayu waved this aside as she gathered her books, papers, and pencil into her arms. "I think I should be heading home now. It's seven thirty and getting late. Don't want to worry Mom."

After exchanging goodbyes, she went down the stairs and out the front door after thanking Akita's parents for the dinner.

Content that she confessed to someone concerning her thoughts (it always felt great to do so), she sang a song softly under her breath. She didn't know why but simply wanted to. Maybe her friend Akita was right. If something crazy did interfere with her mundane life, it could be frightening, too. She had seen too many horror movies to not be the slightest bit aware of that. At least that opinion brought her to her senses. Still, even despite that, a certain reminder persisted within the darkest corners of her mind, a thought that concerned the one thing that had bothered her for years. Living in Light's shadow for too long annoyed her. If only she could move to a place where no one acknowledged the existence of her brother! The other side of the world would be a decent area, as long as no one knew her famous surname. After college, she planned to move out of the country, definitely.

As she strolled down the sidewalk, Sayu suddenly sensed an eerie presence trailing after her. Someone was following her, which sent chills down her spine. Never before had she experienced having a stalker lurk in the shadows, just waiting to snatch her from the dark to mysteriously steal her away. Her family wouldn't be able to rescue her from this terrifying fate, only attempt searching for her. And, of course, her friends would merely panic and wait in fear until she somehow returned to the Kanto region again.

These morbid thoughts inevitably disturbed her to the point that she quickened her pace. Suddenly, once she followed through with this slight movement, she heard plodding footsteps a few feet behind her. Whoever followed her was gaining and fast!

Sayu didn't care about subtlety any more; she started to run like her life depended on it.

Even so, the footsteps did not let up in the slightest. They came more loudly, more hurriedly than ever before. Apparently, the owner was determined to reach her, to do whatever he or she liked with her. Merely assuming this frightened Sayu beyond belief, because she knew the paranoia that came with the nocturnal hours did not overwhelm her. The person wasn't just another casual stranger roaming the streets. This was classified as a residential area! Why would someone just randomly explore a mostly quiet neighborhood where tranquility calmed its residents? No, this person was not normal and most certainly not out for a stroll. What else happened currently other than she, an innocent nineteen-year-old co-ed, sensing a stranger with ill intentions chase her? At this point in her desperate attempt at simply going home, Sayu lost her cool and panicked by escalating her paced run into a sprint.

More footsteps ran behind her, so that it sounded more than one person after her. Unfortunately, she could not guess as to how many people. Running even more rapidly, she made her way up the sidewalk, hoping the corner to turn toward her house would appear shortly. She knew that she had to near her destination before midnight, even though the sky had darkened hours before. But, if she managed to make it, she would tell her mother to lock the doors to discourage these stalkers. Why didn't she leave Akita's house sooner to prevent this moment from ever happening? Spurred on by the faith that she would return home, Sayu noticed the familiar corner where she would sprint the final leg of her flight from the strangers. Just a few more steps, and she could see her warm, safe house and strict yet loving mother again. She _could _make it out alive or at least unharmed.

As soon as she assumed she would lose the people following her, strong arms grasped her waist and hoisted her up in the air. Ready to fight for her life, she flailed her legs to kick the man who tightly grabbed her. It seemed, though, that the arms held her tighter and tighter, so she decided to punch him instead. She pounded her fists against his back, desperate to break free of his hold. He proceeded to carry her away when she had been so close to home.

"Mom!" she screamed, running out of options. "Mom, help! Call 9-1—!"

Another man stuffed a rag in her mouth to stifle her tortured yells. Despite this hindrance, she continued screaming for her mother, to warn her of these gruff men who aimed to kidnap her. Unfortunately, for her, they appeared to open a car door once they walked two blocks there and threw her in the back seat.

Sayu realized that they neglected to tie her hands and feet to prevent her escape. She still had a chance for freedom! But, as she moved her hand silently toward the metal handle, she heard her captors speak for the first time. She hated their voices, which sounded so gruff and unfriendly.

"Hey, we should have tied her up, so she won't get away. The boss wouldn't like it if she ran off somewhere," one of the men mentioned to the other two.

The co-conspirator next to him nodded his head. "Yeah, I'll get right on it."

As he left the car to retrieve something (most likely ropes), Sayu slowly inched toward the door. She refused to stay in the vehicle a second longer; besides, she promised her mom she would come home. Honestly, she would loathe herself to not make good on her word and end up worrying her family. More importantly, she wanted to be alive.

But, the man who seemed to act as leader held a gun to her head and ordered, "Don't move," dashing any hopes of escape.

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**A/N: I guess the reason why I made Sayu the way she is in this fic is that I felt that she wasn't developed enough in the series. Sure, she was just Light's little sister, but she was just used as a plot device. I kind of wanted to go beyond that, write what her thoughts and feelings might have been...with a nice little pairing just to make things slightly AU.**

**I'm not expecting this to garner many reviews, but it would be nice if you guys did review anyway. By the way, I thought of the idea thanks to blackdragonflower, who got me into this pairing. Her stories are pretty cool, especially if you like crack pairings and Matt/Mello, so check them out. Right, well, later, until I have time to update!**


	2. Arrival

**A/N: OK, I realized today (a few minutes ago in fact) that I accidentally said this story was complete. I decided today would be a good day for posting to prove otherwise. This story is definitely not complete, I wanted to make sure I got that across to everyone. OK. Thank God this chapter will not drag like the first one! The first one had resulted of good old writer's block, ugh! But, I hope this one is a little better. I assure you, this story will improve gradually. OK, I'll leave you all to your reading.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. If I did, I would move far, far away from the Midwest (where today's temperature high was 18, I do believe XD).**

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**Chapter 2: Arrival**

Sayu could not resist a horrified, compulsive gulp going down her throat. A threatening pistol had been placed too close for comfort, close to the point that this man could shoot her at any time. Now, her choices had disappeared, for she dared not start an argument with someone holding a gun. If she attempted elusion, she would die for sure without seeing her family and friends again. And she wished to maintain the hope that she would emerge from this awful experience alive. For her to achieve that goal, she unfortunately would submit and cooperate with her captors. They were much larger than her, about two times her body weight, and most certainly stronger than her. These men could break her like a simple toothpick, so what else could she do? Dying was not an option with her, and she could not surrender to that easily. Her whole life lay ahead like a path of opportunity.

A minute later, the henchmen returned to the car holding a bundle of ropes to bind Sayu's hands and feet. Gulping nervously again, she resolved to look him straight in the eyes to show fierceness that she rarely displayed. However, no one here would ever see her scared or crying like a little girl, not when she lived and breathed. Leaning toward her, the man with the ropes stared at her back, though it looked more like a cruel glare.

"Hold still, kid," he gruffly directed, though there was really no need to say these words. The leader of the crude gangster trio still held her at gun point, ready to fire if she made one false move. She glared at the guy who proceeded to tie her hands and feet together. In the face of danger, she would be brave, even if fear did take hold. Once her bounds were tightly secure, the leader set off driving to an unknown destination.

For the first ten minutes of the ride, total silence was all there was among the three men. Of course, Sayu could no longer talk freely, since the henchman ensured to tie a rope around her lower face too, where the rag was stuffed in her mouth. The roughness of the rope's material burned against her sensitive skin whenever she made the slightest of movements. So, she decided to remain as still as possible to hopefully prevent serious rope burns. In the mean time, while she worried over her currently uncertain future, her captors began a conversation among themselves. She strained her ears to eavesdrop on them.

"Well, the boss will be pleased," one commented as he opened a can of vile smelling liquid that Sayu assumed must be beer. After all, she smelled it at too many college social events.

"Yep, that notebook or whatever the hell it is will be ours pretty soon," the leader replied. "I just hope that the girl doesn't pester us until then."

Great to know that she had been promoted to being called "the girl" instead of "she", she thought sourly as a bitter joke to amuse herself. She needed a good laugh at a time like this, no matter how grim. Laughter could cure the misery of this situation, right? On the other hand, the last thing she wanted was for the leader to shoot her with that threatening pistol, silver in color and glinting menacingly in the purity of the moonlight. Merely seeing it within her mind compelled her to gulp. So, she opted to stay quiet to listen to this suddenly interesting conversation.

"You know," the man who sat next to her said, "I'm not sure if the boss is thinkin' straight. Why didn't he just make us find and kill the guy who has the notebook in the first place? It'd be so much easier."

The other man seated next to the leader stared at him stoically, as if he spoke complete gibberish.

Chuckling vilely under his breath, the leader responded to his inferior's rather idiotic oral thoughts.

"Come on, you can't be serious! Usually, easier things lead to other guys gettin' thrown in the slammer. Of course, the hostage thing has been overdone. I'm not sure why _he _would make us kidnap some little girl, though. That still amazes me. Then again, he might be lookin' for a girlfriend."

All three men laughed at this cruelly tasteless joke, Sayu, of course, being not amused. What if that was indeed the case? She could never find her way home if the boss of these men kept her for his own. Unimaginable horrors of what he could do to her surfaced to her mind, which almost made her flinch from frightened disgust. Was this man old or middle-aged? Did he like acts of horrendous perversion such as kidnapping her for instance? She couldn't even begin to picture what he looked like.

Frozen from renewed terror as she discerned the possibilities as to her future captor's appearance, she slowly closed her eyes in order to maybe block out the revolting images. If she ever discovered that he was a sadistic person intent on caging her like a bird, she would rather die.

At that moment, the man next to the leader remarked, "I can't imagine the boss with that girl at all. You kidding? Dude kind of looks like a girl—he has the worst hair I've ever seen. I'm just sayin'."

"I'd love to have the boss hear you say that in front of 'im. He ain't gonna take that too well," the boss of the other two replied.

While they laughed like idiots, Sayu drifted her gaze up toward the car window, through which she observed the night sky. Gleaming stars winked down at her, bestowing to her some partial comfort. It felt like millions of eyes—sympathetic ones at that—gazing companionably at her. How beautiful...

Sayu had drifted off to sleep in the hopes of a brief nap while also wishing her predicament was a dream. When she would awaken, she would find herself in her comfortable bed at safe, cozy home. Her mother would cheerily make breakfast just for her to celebrate the occasion of her weekend away from To-Oh. Sachiko loved to execute miniscule tasks such as this to treat her daughter, to alleviate the previous stress college classes induced. Unbeknownst to her, a mere half an hour had passed, when it really seemed as though she slept hours. However, she promptly returned to reality once someone shook her shoulder. No, she didn't want to wake up, not yet. She requested a few more minutes of sleep that aided in her escape from this nightmarish vehicle that she must have dreamt.

"Wake up, kid. We're at the airport."

Her peace shattered, Sayu reluctantly blinked her eyes open to see the rugged, brutal face of the leader. Stifling a groan, she wondered why they had to traverse so far away. She hoped that they didn't have to leave her home country. Then, all hope of returning home would be lost.

"Look, we have to take your ropes off...temporarily. Then, after the flight, we put 'em back on you. Oh, and for the record, we're three uncles, and you're our niece. Understand, kid?"

Sayu nodded, unsure of how to react to this. If she ran now, after they removed her bounds, they would definitely murder her. As much as she hated confessing this undeniable fact to herself, she needed to persist in cooperating with these rough gang members. She definitely did not want to know Option B. Resigned to her miserable fate, she permitted the men to untie her ropes.

As they all walked to the airport building (at least the pistol was noticeably absent), she wished that "the boss" resided in his headquarters in some Japanese city like Kyoto or Osaka. Maybe she would still have a fighting chance of coming home then, which, when thinking about it, made her sigh self-pitifully. Why must she maintain optimism when none—not even a metaphorical drop—was to be found? But, really, desperate times called for desperate measures. In such a dark duration of time, she needed her faith more than ever. If it flickered and burned out, she would be lost. Once the leader requested tickets for the finally known destination, though, she realized this was easier said than done.

"Four tickets to Los Angeles," he stated bluntly, handing the woman at the counter plenty of yen.

She would end up at the United States?!? What a disheartening revelation.

After the tickets were bought, Sayu and the three men seated themselves in the waiting area, expecting their flight to arrive for them shortly. While they waited, Sayu looked at the many people crowding the inside of this building, the vast majority of them being businesspeople. Once spotted by some of this large horde, she glanced downward. What if she shouted for help now? Would these men shoot her then to ensure her permanent silence? Considerably subdued since her vigorous run about an hour ago, she folded her arms guardedly across her chest. The sooner she abandoned this place where requesting aid was tempting, the better. Luckily, she didn't have to wait too much longer until the airplane they would ride landed safely on the tarmac, according to the announcement. Slowly standing to her feet, she trailed after her "uncles" to board the flight with absolutely no incident.

Riding on that plane seemed to last forever, it seemed. Through her window, Sayu could see the darkness of the night up close, which unnerved her. Before she dozed off, she had thought that the sky provided her some perfectly serene solace. Now, she merely classified it as an intimidating enemy that did not sympathize with her one bit. Loneliness suffocated her as she desired the company of her college friends and her family. She wouldn't even mind conversing with Misa, if it implied that she could elude these merciless captors. Honestly, she missed everybody else so much! And, with the kilometers this plane traveled, she was slowly going further and further away from her homeland. This discouraging thought hurt her emotionally, knowing that this time tomorrow she would not relax at home and perhaps read a book. Saddened from her inner pain, she fell asleep again.

Unfortunately, her erratic sleeping pattern seemed to continue when one of her kidnappers woke her to inform that the plane had landed. Without too much thought, Sayu stood up and emotionlessly followed them outside. More traveling commenced as the men hailed a taxi cab outside the Los Angeles airport to head over to a car rental place. They paid the rental place's owner to borrow a small, cramped Toyota car, which they lead Sayu to in order for them to tie her bounds again. Despising the first time this happened, she closed her eyes, so that she would not see herself being tied up. To say the least, she was totally depressed, feeling isolated in her pain. If only she could have a simple confidante, even if it came in the form of a stranger! Cold reality set in, though, which compelled her to reflect on her capture dourly. The sun may have currently risen to light the day, but Sayu felt no cheer. Truthfully, all of it had vanished along with the chances of her going home.

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**A/N: Right, sorry that I couldn't solve the whole language barrier thing correctly. I know I messed up on that one, but the good news is that those mob guys won't be important any more after this chapter. Next up, the boss finally shows his face, dundundun!**

**Until then, please review. I'm sorry about previous errors I made on the story, but rest assured, you will probably see less of them. Expect another update for next week.**


	3. The Boss

**A/N: I'm hoping that this story isn't too dull for you guys. But, since I got three faves and ten reviews so far, I'm actually feeling pretty good about this fic. It's certainly one of my better starts. XD Anyway, Sayu finally meets her captor in this one, so I hope this makes things more interesting. And there's finally some decent conversation that does NOT involve those lousy lackies of his. To answer questions about Matt showing up--yes, my pretties he will. XD Unfortunately, not until later--I'll explain why in the bottom A/N. So, here tis, chapter three.**

**Disclaimer: I own naught a penny...of profits from this manga/anime. So, I don't own it. There.**

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**Chapter 3: The Boss**

Sayu didn't even bother to take a nap while she half-sat in the backseat of the car, just looking out the window to watch the sun continue its ascent toward the sky. From here, it appeared as an orange orb on its slow way upward, faded pastel colors accompanying it. She would enjoy this scene, if not for the fact that ropes securely bounded her. Maybe if she was at a different time and place, she could admire the beauty of sunrise. As the leader drove the car, she noticed a strange sight in the form of golden desert sands surrounding them. Apparently, the unfamiliar city of Los Angeles lay far behind them to make way for a stretch of dry, parched area. She randomly remembered flipping through the pages of a world atlas at her house for a geography project. The desert they currently drove through was the Mojave, which stretched from California to Arizona. It was almost twenty miles away from LA.

She pondered over the possibilities as to why the gangsters would plan to go through such poor terrain toward their final destination. Perhaps they would have to ride cross-country, a prospect that displeased her due to its length of time. Who knew how much land hopping they would do? Staring hopelessly out the window, she almost felt like napping yet again. The endless stretch of sand that also got whipped by the car's tires wearied her. This was simply too much desert. As her eyelids, heavy with lack of sleep, deliberately started to flutter closed, an obstruction appeared. Sayu's mouth fell open from behind the tattered rag once she espied what looked like a giant door opening. She would never have expected such a mechanism to operate in the middle of nowhere. Sure enough, the car went through the opening the door created, her questions bothering her all the while.

Darkness swept throughout again, save for a few dim lights barely glowing up on the ceiling. She felt rather unnerved by this weird area. Were they prepared to force her out of the vehicle to kill her in this despicable spot? Patiently, she sat there, wondering what her fate would consist. If she were to die right now, it would truly frighten her. She had never even been granted the chance to say her undoubtedly final goodbyes. The fear of death gripped her heart worse than ever, especially when the leader casually opened her door. He proceeded to carry her out of the vehicle, toting her to another room. His lackeys followed right behind him due to a lack of anything else to do. Sayu considered struggling all the way but realized she could no longer risk an action like that. Anything she could do or say would herald her death, and her goal was still there in the back of her mind. Determined to follow through with it, she lay still and silent.

The leader of the kidnappers threw her roughly to the floor, which immediately caused her to wince from physical pain. After all, her limbs were already aching from an extreme lack of movement for practically twelve hours. But, why would she be tossed aside unless they wished to kill her? Then, she assumed that maybe she would meet the boss, the one man who devised this whole elaborate scheme that entailed her kidnapping. He was sure to be a vile, heartless person who would shoot her in front of all his associates. She recalled that the men had talked of a hostage situation, though. So, she figured out according to the information she heard, she would be more of an object than a person. This crime boss would use her as bait in order to obtain a notebook from one of her relatives. Now, why would a notebook prove so much worth to such a man? A thing like that had to contain something special...but what?

She saw a pair of boots before her, right at her eye level. Somewhat cautious to lift her gaze to his, she gradually looked upward toward him. This surely couldn't be the superior to all these men he called associates! The young man standing over her appeared to be her age, if not a year or two younger. Mid-length blond hair hovered above his shoulders, and he possessed the most vivid blue eyes she had ever seen in a guy. Adorned in all leather, he had two accessories that practically popped out within Sayu's vision: a rosary bead necklace with a cross and the silver wrapping of a chocolate bar. His handsome appearance nearly caught her off-guard before she remembered that he probably set up her kidnapping. She glared at him stonily with hard brown eyes, whereas something indescribable passed through his blue stare. A mysterious emotion that flickered by—how did he feel about this?

Breaking the intensity of their locked eyes, he averted his gaze to his inferiors. For some odd reason she could barely comprehend, she anticipated hearing his voice for the first time. But, no, she could hardly feel this way. It was stupid, not to mention insane. Besides, she never believed in love at first sight, especially if that concerned a captor.

"Take her to that special chamber I showed you," the young man informed the others, fiercely biting off a hunk of chocolate, "which you should have done in the first place! Are you idiots that bad at remembering direct orders?!?"

"Hey, at least we got her, didn't we?" one of the lackeys snapped back.

"Yeah, chill, Mello," the leader stoically told him.

Mello... That name definitely did not suit him at all, Sayu assumed.

Mello sighed heavily as he briefly glanced down at her, that same unknown emotion flickering in his eyes. What was up with that? She bitterly wondered what caused this sudden altercation.

"_Don't tell me he's feeling guilty over this now," _she thought inwardly, rolling her brown orbs slightly at him to tell him that she could care less. Could she? Oh, she asked herself enough questions to last a lifetime instead of halfway to twenty-four hours. That aside, she hoped that this was the only moment in which she actually saw him. Honestly, she didn't even want to see his face.

Apparently, his sentiment matched hers, for he ordered the men almost emotionlessly, "Yeah, at least she's here. Just take her away and get her out of my sight."

Ouch, harsh! His opinion barely mattered to her anyway, since she possessed no respect for him.

Proceeding to transport her to another room, the leader of the group hauled her like a piece of luggage toward what looked like a body-sized glass box. Or perhaps it was Plexiglas? Sayu had no idea, though she despised the manner in which the man tossed her carelessly inside it. Worse still, he used a key to lock the box, her cage. If Mello dared to show his sorry face to her, she would ensure that he regretted the anguish he caused her. Angry—definitely furious—tears streamed down her smudged face. Why would he leave her to this depressing fate? A desire to punch him surged through her raging mind, just to vent her frustration and melancholy over her situation. Sayu preferred to bang her head against the glass due to the immobility of her tied feet and hands. However, this was rather painful, so she had to stop.

She leaned against the wall, thinking about the people she cared for back in Japan. It was certainly ironic how yesterday afternoon she wished to go to a completely different country where no one knew her last name of Yagami. Of course, that stemmed from her selfishness that she received less attention than her famous brother Light. She should have listened to Akita by training herself not to idealize such a thought.

"_...Be careful what you wish for."_

Her friend had uttered those exact words, which was a very true adage—too true. Sayu rued bringing that topic up last night. Maybe if she had avoided it and kept it to herself, this kidnapping mess would have never happened. Besides, she suffered through a major lack of sleep. She really needed the rest now. With that, she conked out unceremoniously.

The turning of a key in a lock interrupted, thankfully, a bone-chilling nightmare, which actually recurred back in the safety of Sayu's own bed. It depicted scorching flames that burned a shabby building to the ground. A shadowy figure fled from the scene, and the only detail she saw was the profile of a scarred face. Luckily, the key brought her back to reality the instant she woke up, though she was drenched in a cold sweat. What a relief. Normally, she would scream into a pillow...at least, that occurred the first time the nightmare appeared. To her disgust, Mello stepped inside her prison, holding a sandwich and a bag of potato chips. Kneeling down in front of her, he set the food down and glanced at the ropes, which he proceeded to untie. Finally, her freedom came with the release of those itchy things! Now, she could enact revenge.

Mello calmly sat across from her, so that he could explain the reason why he intruded on _her _privacy. She inwardly noted that he neglected to rid her of the rag in her mouth along with that rope.

"I got you some food," the blond told her frankly. "It's probably been almost a day or so since you've last eaten. And I told those idiots to untie you, but apparently, they conveniently forgot to do that, too."—here, he snarled angrily—"It doesn't matter, though. I just wanted to tell you all this before you can start screaming at me like I know you will."

He seemed to maintain his placid yet somewhat perturbed mood as he got rid of the rope and rag in her mouth. And, just as he accurately predicted, she planned to shout at him.

"Why the hell did you kidnap me?!?" she yelled exasperatedly. "I never did anything to you!"

Mello snorted in what Sayu could guess was an expression of his disdain for her. "I never said you did. Besides, you self-absorbed brat, I'm not after you. Don't speak so highly of yourself. I'm after a much bigger prize, something that could bring Kira down."

Her dark eyes widened incredulously, disbelieving that the chocoholic's intentions were not evil at all. For, yes, she had heard of Kira on the news regarding how many criminals he killed. As for her own opinions, she figured that the courts of law could land those miscreants in prison instead of their death wrought by one person. It just sounded wrong to her for some reason, though she could understand Kira's implications. But, that didn't give him the right to kill. Haltingly, she inquired of her captor, "What is this...thing that could get rid of Kira?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he retorted sarcastically, wearing a distorting smirk.

Already weary of his cynical antics, Sayu curled one of her hands into a fist. She would punch him like she planned to during his absence. He currently toyed with her to merely bide his time, called her names as though he thought himself superior to her. This shabby treatment infuriated her, and she usually didn't have such a volcanic temper. However, she could make an exception in this case, which entailed her kidnapping and now her imprisonment. She lifted her fist to fluidly strike him, but he proved his possessed the quicker reflexes. Just before she hit him, he grabbed it without much thought. He gazed stoically at her yet not unkindly, as though in his own pathetic way, he pitied her.

That emotion quickly eluded his eyes as he stated, "Fine, I'll tell you about it. Just don't do anything stupid, OK?"

So, Mello had made his ultimatum, which she agreed to reluctantly. Maybe starting a fight wasn't the best solution. If anything, it served as the most immature option.

He proceeded to explain, "It's called a Death Note. Kira uses it to kill people, and I plan to eliminate him with it. But, he may have followers—no, I _know _he has followers."

"Then you'd be like him."

"What?" His iridescent blue eyes darkened. "This isn't about self-righteousness here."

"But, isn't what Kira is all about?" Sayu asked to clarify before adding, "Look, he thought he was fair in killing criminals. Obviously, he wasn't. Just...don't be like him."

Mello sighed, clearly flustered, as he bit off more chocolate. "Quit acting like you're so concerned."

This slightly frosty remark silenced her as she pondered over what to say next, for she needed to ask him a question. Caught up in the heat of their conversation, she had momentarily forgotten it until now. She stared pointedly at him before she posed her question.

"So, why are you holding me hostage instead of getting the Death Note yourself?"

Laughing bitterly, he replied shortly, "Holding someone hostage is easier. Besides, I know that you're connected to someone who's able to get the notebook for me."

"My dad?" she questioned while narrowing her eyes out of puzzlement.

"Hmph, so you _are _smarter than you look."

She appraised him coolly. "I guess I am. But, I figured it had something to do with one of my close relatives."

Mello snorted again, though said no further on the subject. It had gotten boring for him.

The two teenagers shared an awkward silence in which they looked away from each other. It gave Sayu the time she needed to compare Mello to what she expected as the mastermind of the hostage/trade-off plan. Well, he was certainly better than the wrinkly, perverted old man she anticipated. She supposed that was a plus. And at least the blond had not physically hurt her or deprive her of food. Despite the pros, there were, of course, the cons to this young man near her age. He said catty, sardonic words to her that would have injured her feelings if she was more sensitive. Not only that, but he seemed to push her away, as though he loathed their previous conversation. The cryptic gazes he bestowed to her were quickly getting old, too. So many qualities concerning him just flat-out frustrated her to no end. He treated her like her teachers did—as though she was both naïve and stupid.

Sayu glared at Mello for the umpteenth time due to his exasperating ways such as one he displayed right now. Merely sitting there, he seemed to study her like a scientific experiment or something. The manner in which he did so was too calculating for her tastes.

"Do you plan on keeping me here forever?" she interrogated him testily. "Are you just going to make my life the living hell you want?"

Guardedly, he started at her for practically too long. "I'm not heartless, Sayu. I'm just in this for the Death Note. You'll only get out of here in a couple of days. I promise."

"As if I would take the word of a Mafia leader!" she scoffed acidly, turning her body away from him to show that she would ignore what he said. Or would she? Even she second-guessed herself.

She managed to overhear him mutter a few curse words under his breath, though he attempted to not let her do so. At least a gentleman lay within him somewhere instead of the total crude person he portrayed. Quite frankly, Sayu was surprised that he hadn't been more callous.

Finally, he replied, "I wasn't always with the Mafia. Actually, there was a time when that idea was the farthest thing from my mind."

She very slightly peered over her shoulder toward him and noticed that his blue eyes had glazed over, as though he recollected that time he so enigmatically mentioned. Once he noticed her looking at him, Mello instantly stood up to leave.

"I better go," he stated off-handedly. "I'll come back to give you food."

With that, he opened the glass door, abruptly closing it as he locked it. Thus, Sayu was in complete isolation.

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**A/N: I'm kinda worried I didn't make Mello in-character enough, so I'm just putting that out there. He is a complex character after all. Oh yes, Matt...according to the timeline in the "How to Read" volume, he doesn't show up until after Mello gets his scar. I'll go by that, though I'm sure some of you guys are groaning right now. XD Sorry, have to make it as close as possible in order for this to be a credible fanfic. I do my research. XDDD**

**In the mean time, you crack pairing addicts out there will love chapter four, though it won't be too drastic by any means. You'll know what I'm talking about...on Friday.**


	4. Attachments

**A/N: All right. Well, I can't believe how many reviews I've received for this story. Wow! XD Eighteen reviews for just three chapters, and I got quite a few hits on my stories overall the other day. Thank you guys so much for that. XD I really wasn't expecting this story to receive this much attention. All I wanted was just to convince a few more people to like this pairing, that's all.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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**Chapter 4: Attachments**

Over the next day or so, Mello returned as he promised he would to drop off meals for Sayu, who quietly ate and watched him suspiciously. At first, he acted coldly as usual to her, what with him uttering as few words to her as possible. By the time her dinner arrived, though, he seemed slightly more talkative. Sayu admitted to herself that she felt relief when he asked her how she slept, for she had napped before he opened the door. The same nightmare appeared in her dream vision again, though another dream came after it. This one depicted her isolated self among the people she loved, her family and friends. They kept conversing about their ordinary lives as she approached closer and closer toward them. For the first time ever in her life, they didn't understand her as a person like they normally would. In fact, they barely acknowledged her existence if at all. Then, a leather gloved hand brushed her bare one in a loving gesture.

The dream had concluded right then and there, which caused her to open her eyes and notice the tears that streamed down her face during her two dreams. Of course, the nightmare disturbed her like always, but the second dream...was the most beautiful one she unknowingly created. This latter dream made her cry the most, she was almost sure of it. Mello came in at that moment to ask her that question that she pondered over at the present. She decided to like regarding her tearstained face, saying that she accidentally spilled the bottled water he bestowed all over it instead. True, a pathetic lie, but hopefully he would accept it.

"I slept fine," she finally answered his inquiry, mentally wondering why he asked after her in the first place.

His eyes narrowed studiously, a definite sign that he disbelieved her. "Then, why were you crying?"

"Oh, I wasn't crying. I accidentally spilled water all over my face."

Mello tapped his fingers rather restlessly on the glass wall as he glared at her. He knew she was lying, and he certainly didn't like it. Why would she bother to avoid telling the truth to him? Out of all the Mafia members, at least he was the one with a human side.

"Don't lie to me," he told her crankily. "I'm not in the mood."

Sayu, angry that he would say such careless words, shouted, "It was a stupid dream, OK?!?"

Turning icily away from him, she put up her emotionless armor to protect herself from revealing her true feelings, especially to him. If she divulged all the details in her dreams, he would smirk condescendingly at her and tell her how much of a whackjob she was. Considering how he behaved yesterday, he would serve as the last person in the world she would open up to due to his biting, cynical words. So, she let this silence come as an invisible barrier between them, blocking both sound and each other.

She sensed him inching himself nearer to her, even though she wished above all else that he would have taken the hint to leave her alone. Yet, he seemed to refuse to, judging by the manner in which he soon came to her side.

"So, what was this dream about anyway?" he asked, trying to come off as nonchalant, but it sounded like there was an inflection of his tone that differed from total apathy.

Suddenly, Sayu discovered that she revealed the contents of both of her dreams to Mello, who still remained a stranger yet someone special at the same time. What was it about him that compelled her to unveil private thoughts she often as not kept to herself? Her best friend at college didn't even know half the things she told her captor thus far. That fact almost seemed far too wrong.

She resolved to mention that iota of a thought to Mello as well, since she had discussed her dreams with him. "I think it's kind of weird that I should be talking to you about my dreams. I mean, you didn't laugh at me—thank God—but still."

He shrugged, bringing his knees close to him. "It doesn't matter. Tomorrow you'll be back to your bubbly, cushy college life with all your little co-ed friends. Then, you'll forget me once you get an invitation to some stupid beerfest after school hours."

To her inevitable shock, he ranted almost bitterly as he made his very inaccurate prediction concerning how her life would go after her release. And as for forgetting him, that could not be further from the truth. He seemingly occupied her mind for the rest of the day yesterday until she wished to sleep.

Did he harbor some sort of concealed emotion toward her that she possessed no awareness? She sighed and went through an inward list of options as to what to say next. Appeasing him was her current goal, so that his abruptly sour mood would subside.

"I don't even like beer," she murmured at last, smirking slightly from Mello's perception of college. He looked barely old enough to attend, much less know what it consisted! Opportunity knocked for the students who strived to succeed like she did. Honestly, she only tolerated parties to an extent, and drinking alcohol did not sound appealing at all. She studied him to see what type of reaction he would show—probably anger, she figured. Instead, quite the opposite happened as he held back his head and laughed. Then again, she _had _made a slight joke.

"Shows what I know about college!" Mello snorted, luckily not out of disdain.

Sayu considered resisting the laughter that welled up inside her chest, but decided to let it out instead. She admitted that his theories on college were downright hilarious, since he technically couldn't relate. He probably skipped high school if he attended at all. As she laughed rather loudly, he slightly tilted his head to gaze at her. His scorching blue eyes bored into hers, which caused her to lower the volume of her amused giggles.

Impulsively, she told him, "I couldn't exactly forget you in a day. Or, to be honest, I wouldn't forget in a month or a year or a decade or...maybe my whole life."

The barely visible smile that had appeared on his face while chuckling vanished as he sobered. "Well, of course you wouldn't. I'm the bad guy who kidnapped you to get the notebook, right? It would make sense."

She could scarcely believe that she just hurt him, especially when she thought him so resilient to words.

Well, maybe she hadn't injured his feelings, an assumption that seemed doubtful to begin with. But, she had certainly done something to affect him. What could she say that could console him? All the gifts and talents belonged to her brother, she figured, including the power of persuasion that could sway minds and convince even the most stubborn people.

Sighing, she glanced toward him. "All I can say is...to me, you'd be so much more than the kidnapper."

She couldn't believe she said that! They barely knew each other and would likely never become more tha stranger acquaintances. A sense of confusion settled over her, though she added on to what she told him.

"You're the first person who's never brought up my 'famous' brother in a conversation with me. And, well, you're important. At least I'm a bit more than Light's sister to you."

His eyes widened at the mere mention of her brother; she wondered if he came across him in his gang dealings. Besides the fact she gave, he appeared interested in more than Light Yagami.

"So...you've felt like second place compared to him. And people keep telling you how you could do better to surpass him. It kind of eats away at you, because you can't help being you," he murmured, speaking half to himself as well as to her. In the mean time, her own brown orbs dilated due to the abrupt surprise of his psychological analysis. How could he possibly understand this keenly?

"How do you—?"

He held up a hand to interrupt her question before looking out the glass prison. "Let's just say I know from experience. Some kid has made me feel inferior for all of my life. It really...ticks me off."

Certainly, he proved his frustration by viciously biting off his chocolate while a slight snarl distorted his lips.

After his briefly silent contemplation, he aimed his glare at her, his blue eyes burning in a wildfire-like rage. Despite the expansion of his fury, he covered Sayu's resting hand with one of his gloved ones, gripping tightly as though he vented his emotions on her. Her second dream from a while ago returned to her like it had been for real. Did she actually dream of him?

"You know what? Forget what the others say! It's your life, and if they only want to know you because of your brother, then too bad! They're missing out."

She felt absolutely touched that his anger was directed at people who had often walked up to her to merely ask if she was related to Light. Finally, someone understood! And, if she guessed correctly, he might care as to how much anguish that issue had put her through.

Cautiously, she leaned toward Mello, but not too close. The last thing she wanted to do was to drive him away, now that they finally got somewhere in this unexpected friendship. Yesterday, she realized just how simple that was.

Breathlessly, she said, "Mello...I didn't think you'd really get it."

"I didn't think you'd get it either," he replied wittily, another tiny smile tugging at his lips. Cupping her cheek gently, he leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. Sayu blushed from the heat of the moment, how beautiful this felt. An emotion rarely known to her tingled throughout every place in her body, for she hadn't anticipated the tenderness that came with his kiss. All she smelled was the entrancing temptation of chocolate that suited him so perfectly. Her emotions ran rampant at this moment.

Once his lips abandoned her forehead, Sayu subconsciously found herself fingering the spot that he touched. Warmth spread throughout her entire face as she recalled the moment like she would look upon a photograph in her family album. Like everything portrayed in that particular leather bound book, it would serve as a landmark for a time she discovered an intelligent guy.

Mello continued staring at her until saying, "Well, tomorrow's the big day. You get to leave..."

Hardly stating any further, he stood to his feet to depart for overseeing things with his gangster inferiors. A hollow sensation froze her, as though she really could feel what he felt once he informed her of this. So, tomorrow arrived a few hours later, which made her reflect on all the few conversations she shared with Mello. Just as she remembered the gentle, sweet kiss he bestowed upon her, footsteps came followed by voices. She recognized her father's.

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**A/N: I thought it would be amusing if I had Mello basically stereotype college like that. I definitely know it's not like that from what I have heard. Still, I wanted to have a little humor within the drama. Life's like that. Hm, maybe I made Mello a little too soft, but people have told me he is a difficult character to write. And so he is. At least there was no lip action--that would have been waaaaaaaay OOC of him.**

**Well, please review. I'm satisfied with any I get, so I'm really happy. Oh, and one more thing. Matt WILL show up in the story some time, because I wasn't sure if people were thinking that he was out of the story or something. Of course not. You can't have Mello without Matt, you know. XD**


	5. Lengthy Recovery

**A/N: Hi, guys! For those of you who have been asking if this story is coming to a close, it will not come to a close yet. In fact, there are twelve chapters in all, so this story is, by no means, over yet. So, rejoice! However, this chapter is a tad depressing, just warning you beforehand.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or its fine cast of characters (especially L...Everyone loves L, right?!? XD)**

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**Chapter 5: Lengthy Recovery**

Sayu reunited with her father, relieved tears brimming in her eyes. As much as she confessed to herself that she had found a temporary confidante in Mello, she couldn't stay in this box forever. Besides, the men he sent who stood sentry between his visits were rather harsh on her. They would sometimes hit her when they thought her an annoying nuisance. To get away from that was indeed better than staying here. Her heart protested, despite the positive thought of no longer putting up with Mafia members. Even with those rotten people, at least there had been one friend, someone who might have cared. As Soichiro Yagami led her outside the concealed hideout, she passed Mello on their way. She glanced over her shoulder to smile at him, but he completely ignored her. With her departure, she had lost him, possibly forever. Resignedly, she boarded the helicopter and longingly gazed out the window as they flew back home.

Everything seemed to go downhill after she exited the hideout for some strange reason she could barely comprehend. On top of the fact that Mello acted coldly right before she left, other issues attacked her mind, and there was only so much she could take. Her parents insisted on asking if she fared well, which she simply answered in the affirmative. They also assumed that the mastermind behind the kidnapping was a despicable, belligerent older man. However, Sayu neither admitted nor denied their painfully inaccurate guess. When she returned to To-Oh, Akita bombarded her with concerned questions regarding her captivity. Her friend might as well have told her, "I told you so" due to the wise adage she stated just hours before the incident. Sayu was so very disappointed in Akita, whom she once thought she could talk to about everything. But, someone else had taken her friend's place when it came to that.

Her grades slipped to the point that it was a miracle if she could crack the 90's in any graded test she received back. College social life along with trying in school had both lost their thrill for her, if she possessed the energy to bother with them. For, her nightmare still persisted, though it grew drastically worse and with more horrific detail than she could ever imagine. Too many of these horrible symbolic dreams haunted her. Abruptly, on the one week anniversary of her kidnapping, her parents told her they would all move out to the country, where no such incident could happen again. That did it for her. The very next night, she sneaked out of her house to wander over to the city to find a building. The cause didn't point to Mello any more; quite frankly, it was so many things at once that she nearly buckled under the pressure. What other option remained? She took an elevator up to the top of the building, the stars twinkling like knowing eyes. There, her suicide attempt commenced.

By a combination of luck and a true miracle, she managed to survive the fifteen-story jump. The worst damage done to her was that both of her legs broke upon impact with the cement sidewalk below. Even then, the deep fractures (not too deep to cause permanent confinement to a wheelchair) were on the outside of her bones, according to an X-ray later given. Despite the failed attempt, she did die in an emotional sense. She forced herself into muteness, refusing to speak a word to either of her parents. Of course, they worried even more and asked several questions as to her motive for suicide. She cynically wished that they would shut up for once, so that they could leave her alone. After her release from the hospital, they all moved to a house out in the country, much to her bitter disappointment. To pass the time at her new home (she obviously couldn't go to To-Oh due to her wheelchair), she read her favorite novels and watched her favorite movies.

However, life had honestly lacked its zest, and Sayu found hardly any joy in anything. She had fallen into a state of profound depression that became so severe that she could barely get out of her bed in the morning. Her mother, though, was determined that she recover. To put this plan into action, she would push Sayu out every afternoon to welcome whatever lay beyond the house. The daughter glanced at the leaves that tumbled onto the ground from halfway barren trees around her. Autumn nearly concluded, she could tell. Songbirds chirped busily and constantly, but she knew that they would rest a lot during the cold winter. And the dying brown leaves represented her broken heart, the one organ that had not stopped beating when she had made her literal leap of faith

Indoors, she pondered over why she still lived, when she honestly should have died. The one time she didn't wish for fate to interfere, it had in the most inconvenient way. Maybe she wasn't supposed to die, not yet. Sayu could hardly help but wonder exactly why, since she figured she possessed no use to the world or its inhabitants other than being the target of too many questions. Her father noticed that she would take to glaring at him every time he asked how she felt every day. He eventually resigned to the inevitable by ceasing these very policeman-like inquiries that followed with that particular one. At least he knew how these bothered her, unlike her mother. In fact, she became closer with him, for he would stand by her wheelchair when she was pushed outside. Words were never needed; they only needed to share the companionable silence, and that served as enough. Nothing could improve besides this bond.

Gradually, day by day, Sayu regained her original physical and emotional strengths as her legs healed. The depression ebbed, improved from the one point in which it had become virtually unbearable to live with. She realized one night before she fell asleep that not dying meant that she had a place in the world. In her lifetime, she would be important to somebody, if not already. Her old optimism returned, alleviating her of her seemingly long anguish, and she set her sights on the future. She had college ahead of her, which she desperately needed to finish and gain a worthwhile job. There was something to live for again, something special indeed, which she thought more hopefully once the doctor who treated her removed her casts. At the very moment she said goodbye to those wretchedly heavy things, a smile curved her lips for the first time in a while. Hours later, she contentedly related to her parents of how happy she felt about it, much to their surprise. She had started talking again.

Sure, her voice sounded hoarse from lack of usage, but it was good to hear nonetheless. The Yagamis decided to celebrate the occasion by treating themselves to an esteemed restaurant of theirs for dinner. While they ate their meals, they conversed as breezily as though nothing happened to ever alter their mutual bond.

"We're relieved that you've decided to talk again, Sayu," her father mentioned.

Her mother beamed from absolute bliss as well. "Yes, we were so very worried about you. I'll call Light after we get home to tell him the good news."

At the mention of her brother, Sayu feigned a smile. "I'm sure he'll be happy to hear it, Mom."

Really, this was just another way that would make her pathetically crazed and Light the superior sibling due to his shining perfection. _He _would have never jumped off a building. _He _would never stop talking for days on end.

Even though her mother's idea somewhat discouraged her, she refused to become thoroughly miserable over the subject. She had already wasted enough time and energy on sadness as it was, not to mention that she broke her legs because of it. So, the next day she told Sachiko in her straight-forward manner that she planned to return to To-Oh. Of course, her mother wasn't sure about this and insisted that she take a few more days off to rest. But, Sayu was done resting. She was done with residing in total seclusion in her bedroom, only to be implored to venture outside. Life must go on, and she must catch up on her missing assignments. With a quick breakfast consisting of a bagel with blueberry jam spread on top of it, she purposefully strode outside the door to begin another day at her university. Upon her arrival, several students from her classes noticed how healthy she looked, though rather cruel, cutting words told otherwise. They crowded her to ask those same questions her parents had.

Her first day back at To-Oh fared well, but not splendidly; the disappointed faces of her teachers clearly stated that they expected so much better of her. They knew of her suicide attempt, because it had appeared as a bit in the local newspaper. Once again, Light bested her, and he was out of the country as of late. Not only that, but her homework amounted to so much, she feared she would fail junior year. The only thing that hadn't suffered during her extensive absence was her popularity, which still surprisingly remained intact. After school, several invitations to parties were lavished upon her like expensive jewelry, though she couldn't accept any of them. Homework would be finished before that ever happened, she informed the respective hosts and hostesses of the aforementioned parties. They shrugged this off with discouraged sighs before leaving her alone.

The following weekend was set aside for strictly business purposes, which consisted of those several assignments. She had finished half of them already, proceeding to envy Light's advanced mind. His smarts had always proved better than hers and so did everything else. Brains, athleticism, looks, talent, charisma—he had them all, and she didn't. She felt like the black sheep of the family, the dumb one who often asked for help on homework. As her jealous feelings erupted within her, one memory compelled them to fade away. It was the time when a certain chocoholic told her wisely that people who cared about her only because of Light were not worth her time. She suddenly missed him, a pang stabbing at her heart. To think, he probably forgot everything regarding her, when he said it would be the other way around. Sayu had not stopped thinking about him for a second.

Still, it wasn't as though she never tried to forget about him. After her suicide attempt or perhaps before that, she tried to on many occasions. When Mello didn't even look at her on that last day, it immediately shattered a piece of her heart. The day before, he suddenly seemed kind and gentle, a soft side she thought hadn't existed. She even replayed the forehead kiss in her mind during dreams. No, no matter how many times she tried, she could never erase him from her memory. On the contrary, he would come to mind very soon as her father left their country house one night. She heard the car (a vehicle she never used due to her walking preference) purr into life, which certainly awakened her from the recurring nightmare. It had been especially strong tonight for some reason, as though an event would come to pass. Extremely concerned for her father, she helplessly watched him drive away into the darkness.

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**A/N: This is probably a somewhat lame attempt here, since I have always been confused as to why Sayu had been _briefly _confined to a wheelchair, for those of you who read the manga. I couldn't think of anything else but suicide attempt, since Death Note is full of depressing things like that. I don't know about it. As for the not speaking part, that was relatively easy. Most traumatized people at some point go into silence, especially if you read about fictional characters like the one in the book _Speak_. It's a good book by the way, I'd recommend it to anyone.**

**ANYWAY, how'd I do?**


	6. Barely Alive

**A/N: All right, guys. I'm back and so is Mello. XD Unfortunately, as much as I hate to say this, this is a filler chapter...somewhat of one anyway. Especially the latter part. But, anyway, be thankful this chapter is shorter than the first two chapters, which I didn't personally like as well. After all, the first two chapters were really loooooooooooong fillers, basically. So here it is.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or any of its characters.**

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**Chapter 6: Barely Alive**

Searing red-orange flames piled higher and higher toward the ceiling of the most recent hideout, billowing gray clouds of smoke seemingly expanding from every corner. Mello was running as fast as possible in order to evade this increasingly dire disaster. He had failed when it came to having the Death Note in his possession, for he had lost it minutes ago to the blazing fire. Truthfully, he had no choice in the matter other than to detonate the whole place. After all, that Yagami man threatened to kill him with that same Death Note...or was it the same? That aside, one of his men, Jose, shot Mr. Yagami before Mello could even decide what to do. The last thing he planned to do was kill the middle-aged man, but he had possibly, unknowingly sided with Kira. As demonstrated in the previous scenario he went through, the final decision became completely out of his hands. Mr. Yagami probably lay dying in a hospital while he struggled to find a way out.

Admittedly, he cursed silently within his mind concerning the situation, especially since that older man seemed rather reluctant to state his threat. Obviously, he had never killed anybody before. Not only that, but he was the father to...

Mello shook his head vigorously, regaining his current train of thought. His plan was to survive this fire instead of reflecting on what happened a few weeks ago. Sure, he befriended the girl, only because all of those lousy, good-for-nothing Mafia men who had all died now would never have behaved decently to her. At least he possessed the good sense to, though he could hardly remember his motive. Was it done out of pity or out of boredom? Apathy or something more? No matter, he would never know now. Determinedly, he thought himself as a forward thinker who rarely looked back on trivial statements or events. Then again, did they seem all that worthless?

He glimpsed one of the exit doors up ahead of him, a definitely optimistic sign, considering he spent five minutes attempting to seek a decent escape. The other areas had been blocked because of the caving in of the hideout. He should have never thought of such a cliché to obtain a Death Note in the first place. What else could he have done, though?

Suddenly, before his hand grasped the handle, a flaming rafter fell and whipped out some of the fire along with it. Most of the flames struck Mello's face, which caused him to reel back from the agonizing, sharp pain coursing through the left side of it. Wincing while hissing at the same time, he held onto the injury as he opened the door. Coughing on his way out, he wondered how he managed to survive. Every last one of his pathetic men died, yet he still lived and barely breathed relieving oxygen. Sometimes, life just didn't seem fair. He stumbled out into the chilly November night and proceeded to search for an apartment. At least money lay in his pants pocket.

Mello treated his wound using cold water from the sink in the apartment he currently stayed until he figured out his next objective. Luckily, it was certainly not a third-degree burn, but it did have a grotesque scarring effect. A few days later, he glanced at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and inevitably sighed over what he saw. He deserved this ugly scar that distorted nearly all of the left side of his face. His recklessness had indeed gotten the better of him. Significantly abashed from this revelation, he stayed in the apartment most of the time. Occasionally, he wandered outside to buy some rations for himself. A more depressing life he could not have lived at the moment due to his immense loss. Everything he planned and each effort he attempt to succeed in catching Kira had completely, literally blown up in smoke. He had hardly any hopes when it came to winning instead of losing.

Yes, his rival, the one young man he vowed to triumph over in this Kira case—he thought himself worthier of the accomplishment. He desperately wished to be the one to seemingly respect L's memory better in the sense that he finish the work that the enigmatic detective had started five years ago. Mello would have given anything to become the main successor, though spoke nonchalantly regarding it when Roger announced that his rival take L's place. His inner thoughts told an entirely different story of a desperate boy with an inferiority complex trying persistently to outdo one of his far more intelligent peers. He always disliked Near up to that fateful meeting among the two of them and Roger a few years back. Now, Mello assumed he possessed every reason in the world to despite that smaller, weaker albino boy. He had stolen what had been rightfully the blond chocoholic's.

From that aggravating day on, he swore to himself that he would create his own path to his life, idealize his own destiny. Maybe if he and Near crossed paths again, he thought that he could assume the title of L's heir. Unfortunately, since he found himself between a rock and a hard place, he wondered if he could ever achieve his goal. For, inevitably, he was bound to fail—even he dared to confess this to himself albeit rarely. At this rate, while he privately sat in his own apartment on one particular rainy afternoon, Near would plan something so elaborate that Kira would unknowingly stumble into the trap. In the mean time, he, Mello, did absolutely nothing to prevent this scenario from happening. He merely snacked constantly on his chocolate, only looking ahead to the next day out of blind faith that he could plot something just as well. Eventually, he angrily clenched both of his fists as he firmly resolved to confront Near. He set out on a flight to Washington D.C. the next day.

Apparently, the boy he considered an enemy as well as a formidable genius had fared far better than he could have ever imagined possible. Then again, the idiot always relied on other lackeys to do his bidding by carrying out tasks he himself planned. He always took the easy way out, hardly bothering to toil for what he wished to achieve in life, unlike Mello. At least the blond had undergone the industriously difficult job of rising in the ranks of the Mafia. Eventually, he impressed them enough to the point that they decided to allow him to assume position as their young, intimidating leader. Despite his short stature for someone his age, he proved himself worthy as a force to be reckoned with. Under his strong leadership, he satisfied his inferiors, though that had never stopped them from mocking him. But, that didn't matter to him. He labored all of his life to earn what he wanted, and he would continue that.

One of Near's co-workers (though he considered her one of the more valuable lackeys at best) lead him throughout the SPK's headquarters to the albino. After a few years of separation, they would finally reunite in an unexpected way. Really, Mello only wanted an old photograph of himself that he could hide from Kira. Unfortunately, it might have been too late at this point, since Mr. Yagami discovered his real name that he discarded long ago: Mihael Keel. It reminded him too strongly of his depressing epoch before Wammy's in which his mother... But, that was indeed an extensive time, roughly fifteen years or so back. He preferred to forget them, obliterate them from his mind, so that his photographic memory could perhaps disappear. His only concern now, if mere concealment would not do, was to take the photograph to destroy it. That way, no one could properly identify him.

The confrontation with Near went as frustratingly as he anticipated. His rival casually commented on how helpful he had been in narrowing down the people he suspected as Kira. Serving as some pathetic tool fueled Mello's rage, causing him to point his pistol he carried Near's way. The young man appeared rather confident that the chocoholic would not pull the trigger, though. And Mello always hated it when his rival turned out to be right. However, he retracted his weapon used earlier to hold Halle Lidner (the co-worker) at gunpoint so she could bring him here. He raided her bathroom of all places; honestly, he lacked real interest in her. That quality currently belonged to another girl... Gradually, after Near cooperated with the giving of the photo, Mello decided to drop a hint that would actually aid in the Kira case. Why not? After all, he may be dirty (in fact, he literally was that day, what with his shabby, torn coat and lank blond hair), but he preferred not to sink too low.

The hint consisted of the fact that the Death Note originally belonged to a shinigami, one of which he met before named Sidoh. Though Sidoh was a dunce in every sense of the word, at least he provided Mello insight on where the Death Notes themselves originate. Near seemed satisfied upon hearing that shinigami were the ones that created the notebooks and bestowed his rival with parting words that suggested a competition. Mello liked competing, especially when he won. He rarely won anything in his lifetime, but perhaps the title of being the next L would suffice perfectly. With a smirk, he set off for Japan moments later to reflect on the situation before him. Now, he realized, he needed to triumph over Near more than ever. Unfortunately for him, he was running out of both money and ideas as to how to tackle the Kira case.

He confessed to himself that he felt totally worthless at the moment, because that white haired twerp possessed allies who would assist him at any time. He snarled just remembering that undeniable fact, so his thoughts turned elsewhere. That was when Sayu randomly popped into his mind, which made him wonder how she did. Mello secretly hoped that he hadn't caused too much distress and agony during the kidnapping. Then again, he would not even look her in the eye on the day of her departure. But, that was because he couldn't face the truth that that supposedly insignificant girl had really grown on him. Compared to him, she was not too different, for both of them desired number one positions desperately. They both knew people who surpassed them, people who could serve as the best at anything and everything.

No one had genuinely comprehended his struggle like Sayu had expressed during that special conversation. But, what did it matter anyway? Her father was dead now, and Mello probably would not see her again. Besides, a sudden idea flashed like a light bulb in his mind as to an ally who could support him morally and financially. This young man could abet him in catching Kira, he was sure of it. Hopefully, his best friend still possessed the same cellphone number. Without much time wasted, Mello dialed the number on the keys of the cheap hotel phone. He heard three ringing noises, and he abruptly felt unsure if he remembered the cellphone number accurately. If that was the case...

"Hello, this is Matt the video game master speaking," a familiar voice drawled.

Mello could barely suppress a smile. "Hey, Matt, it's me, Mello. Could you do me a favor?"

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**A/N: Yay for the debut of Mattie's voice! XD Even though this seems to be a cameo, he will show up in...the next chapter, I believe and another chapter after that. So, Matt fans, I hope you're all excited. Sorry for the filler chapter, but I wasn't quite sure how to explain what happened while Sayu was living in misery/recovering from her fall.**

**By the way, sadly, Deputy Chief Yagami is now dead. How will Sayu be able to cope? Will Sayu and Mello ever meet again? Will all these questions be answered? They will...IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! XD**

**So, until then, review please. Reviews are accepted and appreciated. Speaking of which, I wish I could bake chocolate chip cookies for all of you...but how about some invisible ones instead if you review? OK, invisible is not as good as the real thing. Everybody knows that. XP**


	7. Scars

**A/N: To make up for the filler chapter filled with filler-ness (say that three times fast XD), here is an eventful chapter for you all. This chapter is emotional, very, very emotional. In fact, this involves a funeral, a bitter reunion, and all sorts of emotional stuff. So, if you have a seatbelt, strap it on--this is going to be a bumpy ride. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. I only wished I did, because it is genius.**

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**Chapter 7: Scars**

Her father's funeral passed so silently that Sayu thought that she could hear a pin drop if such a thing had fallen at the moment. Soichiro's co-workers, normally busy, ensured to appear at this solemn moment along with her brother Light and even his girlfriend Misa. It was kept private, just as Sayu's mother intended it to be since she hardly wished for everyone her husband had ever known to offer their condolences.

The grieving process was difficult, and it seemed like a long road to recovery if at all. Death's cold grip never quite vanished to those who experienced it when it came to a loved one. Light said a few words on behalf of all the gathered mourners, but Sayu found she couldn't hear them. Too many sorrowful thoughts occupied her mind, including a particular one that told her to keep it together. If her brother maintained his self-control, then so could she.

Many times, she inadvertently made him look like the impeccable being of the universe or something ridiculously perfect like that. To break down in tears would only prove that history has a tendency to repeat itself...even in this instance, with her father dead in the line of duty. He was always such a brave man, the ideal parental figure that his children could look up to. With him gone, an empty, hollow space settled over the whole family along with his friends from work. A deep sadness like that was hard to erase.

As she watched the pall bearers set her father's coffin six feet under the ground, she heard halting footsteps make their way toward her. She glanced over her shoulder to find Matsuda shuffle awkwardly toward her. Maybe she could have been interested in him if she hadn't met a certain young captor who, of all things, captured her heart. In the mean time, she allowed Matsuda to tell her what he wanted to.

"I'm very sorry about your father, Sayu. He was a great man, believe me. He would have done anything to save people's lives, even if it meant sacrificing his own. I just...It should have been me instead of him. I was on the same squad as was and..."

"Thanks, Matsuda," she interrupted in a gentle tone. "But, I don't want you to say that it should have been you. It was nobody's fault except the one who killed him."

Matsuda reached behind his neck to scratch at it while a faint red blush spread over his face. "Yeah, I guess that's true... I offer my, um, condolences to you and your family."

Nodding to acknowledge her acceptance, Sayu watched him as he trudged back to his fellow colleagues to talk to them. This gave her pause for thought, recollecting all of the memories she shared with her father and how she bonded with him right before his death. Once in her room after the funeral, she sobbed into her pillow.

The next few days elapsed rather depressingly, especially at school. Though her peers did say sorry regarding that death, they said it with a lack of empathy in their voices. Most of them couldn't really concur, since both of their parents were still alive. She secretly resented and even envied their happiness and their luck. But, she realized it was petty of her to do that, especially since surrendering such a sin was key in recovery. So, she decided to strain her grateful smiles while repressing her innermost feelings. She would despite herself if she let them show in public. The classes dragged on as always simply due to their tradition of doing so. Even with that, Sayu wished vainly that time would stop and not resume again. During the following weekend, she squandered it by basically watching television. She needed to take a mental health day to evaluate her mind.

How was she supposed to rise above her haunting depression, when traumatizing things insisted on happening to her? She got kidnapped by a potential lover who tossed her aside, she hurled herself off a building due to too much pressure, and now, her father died. Her life seemed to be turning upside down before her very eyes. Once discovering this revelation, she turned off her TV and decided to set out on a trip to the city. She wasn't sure what she planned to do, but sitting on her bed all day did not suit her at all. Walking at a steady pace, she explored the city a half an hour later, for it seemingly took forever to arrive there. If only she still lived five minutes away! She glanced at the building signs to see if any of these locations interested her.

Unbeknownst to Sayu, a young man strode in the opposite direction while trying to keep his blond head down. He needed to lay low for a while, considering the incident that happened just weeks ago. Ironically enough, these two bumped into each other, for Sayu thought she noticed someone familiar so she took an abrupt halt. The person stumbled over her feet, which he reacted to by giving her an offended glare. His blue eyes widened upon recognizing her, the one young woman he assumed he would never encounter ever again. Equally as shocked, Sayu instinctively placed her hand quickly over her chest due to an unsightly scar she noticed on the man's face.

"Sayu...?" he asked, unsure of how to react.

In turn, she falteringly said, "Mello..."

Almost instantly, he pursed his lips. "We need to talk."

Before she could add to what she muttered, Mello forcibly grabbed her hand to lead her to a coffee shop.

They mutely sat across from each other at a table inside, waiting for one of the waitresses to hand out their menus. Sayu eyed the chocoholic rather suspiciously, especially since the fleshy red, practically disfiguring scar on his face that caught her attention. Once they received their menus, she pursued this nagging subject.

"What happened to your face?"

The question obviously stunned him, though his solution was holding the menu in front of his face. "None of your business. Besides, it's not like _you _would even bother to care."

She crossed her arms icily. "Well, excuse me. I'm only concerned that you practically burned half of it off."

"Not so damn loud," he hissed savagely just as the waitress returned to their table.

Shrugging in response, Sayu told her that she requested a smooth mocha, and Mello opted to refuse coffee. He lost his thirst, apparently, no thanks to her inquiries. But, she honestly felt no sympathy toward him due to his irritating her. She studied him, sharply aware how he incessantly tapped his fingers on the tabletop. Restlessness occupied his mind, causing her to speculate on its source. She probably, unsurprisingly had something to do with it. Her natural interrogating instinct overcame her silence.

Promptly, she asked, "Then what do you want to talk with me about? Obviously, it's not the scar."

Sighing exasperatedly, he told her, "Well, since you already like me less, you'll hate me. I'm just warning you."

Uh-oh, this couldn't be positive news to hear. On the other hand, her curiosity merely strengthened by listening to this warning. The waitress proceeded to hand her fresh coffee, so at least she had sweet caffeine at her disposal.

Mello stared at her sipping the mocha flavored liquid before informing her of this, "I know how your father died. Um...well, he and this task force that is supposedly trying to stop Kira raided my second hideout. We were all surrounded, and I was cornered by Yagami. He told me to give up, or he would kill me. Now, he may not have known this, but he worked with Kira."

"Bull," Sayu crudely cut in, slurping her coffee with renewed fury.

"I know who Kira is, OK?!? Don't interrupt me again. Now, as I was saying, he threatened to kill me with a Death Note. He was reluctant just as I was reluctant. But, I ran out of options, and—"

Her mouth dropped accompanied by trembling and tears in her eyes. "You...you killed him!"

Mello's blue orbs dilated out of disbelief. "That's not what I—"

"I know you did it, you jackass!" she screamed at this point before fleeing the shop.

Sayu sprinted as swiftly as possible, pushing past other people as the tears that had brimmed her eyelashes streamed down her face. Even though Mello was a fast runner himself, she proved better once she soon escaped his sight. Cursing violently, he kicked at the sidewalk out of frustration. When Yagami had trapped him in that fateful room, he even considered how Sayu would have felt if he killed him. It was one of the few times that he hesitated during a pivotal point in anything connected to the case.

Now that _she _went and jumped to conclusions regarding what occurred at the hideout, though, he wondered if he could improve relations with her. He suddenly desired it so desperately that he could barely think straight, and normally, Mello tended to forget about the past on purpose. But, not in this case—he inevitably had a thing for her.

Hunching his shoulders, he returned to the recently bought apartment, courtesy of Matt. The redhead even contributed technology along with the money to pay certain finances, and one example happened to be a laptop. As odd as this idea sounded to Mello, he would utilize that computer to his advantage by searching for Sayu's address. He hated to resort to such a stalker's preference, but he believed that times were desperate enough.

Besides, this was a difference between his interest accepting him or rejecting him forever. And he also loathed seeing her cry like she had minutes ago, especially since he caused the tears. Mello imagined wiping them away, catching them on his fingers. Of course, he descended back to cruel reality in the realization that he needed to make it up to Sayu.

Later, with a few key strokes, he discovered her address on a random page. Being friends with a skilled hacker had definitely aided his chances. A bemused Matt stepped over toward him while play a gaming portable at the same time.

"So, dude, what you looking up?" he inquired, glancing over his friend's shoulder like the pest he knew he was. Mello protected the screen by hovering over it while pressing his gloved hands against it. This meeting he secretly planned would be strictly confidential.

"Let's just say I don't want you to know...at all."

Matt shook his head while rolling his green eyes. "K, whatever, but be more subtle next time if you don't want me to know. I'm serious, man."

Mello breathed out a sigh of relief before switching the laptop off.

He set off for his destination in the middle of the night, when everybody slept peacefully without remotely thinking that intruders crept in the shadows. Besides, the revving of his motorcycle would end up with him in all sorts of trouble during daylight hours. And he seriously doubted that Sayu's mother would welcome him with open arms. He could not afford to make any more enemies at this stage.

After a ten minute drive in which the urban area gradually made way for tranquil country, he glanced upon a traditional Japanese house that overlooked the main road. Cautious as to his parking, Mello stopped the motorcycle by the side of the road, so that it only appeared as a shadowy silhouette. Once he alit from it, he scooped up some small rocks to throw toward one of the upper windows. Sayu's room was surely up there somewhere, though he had to rely on pure luck when it came to his decision. Hopefully, a screaming Japanese woman would not greet him.

Flicking the rocks toward the window he guessed lead to her bedroom, he actually hoped for once that Sayu would notice him. She did by opening the window and sticking her head outside.

"Care to tell me why you're here in the middle of the night?" she questioned coldly as she propped her arms up on the sill, her dark eyes flashing.

Without much thought to his response, he stated, "I came to tell you the truth. You wouldn't listen to what I had to say, so I came here."

"You're so weird," she whispered under her breath before adding, "There's nothing more to say. You clearly murdered my father, and I don't need to talk to you."

"There's two sides to every story, Sayu!" he retaliated. "Just hear me out."

Reluctantly, Sayu gingerly straddled the sill, which she gradually clung to as she dangled over the ground. She had to get over her fear of heights someday, so she descended without a scratch on her. If her mother heard this disturbance, she would tell her that she couldn't sleep—that excuse was a hundred percent effective. After walking toward Mello, she crankily crossed her arms to let him know just how irritable she felt at the moment.

She tapped her foot as she told him, "You better make me not regret waking up to your rocks."

"You won't," he assured evenly. "Now, here's what you really need to know. As I said before, I had run out of options when your father threatened to kill me. But, I was slightly hesitant about this, which is rare of me anyway. I reached for my gun, still unsure, when—"

"Why should I listen to this?" Sayu asked wearily. "How do I know it's not a lie?"

Mello raked back strands of his blond hair, disbelieving that she would think that way. Then again, he supposed that she did have a reasonable motive when it came to her mood.

"Because it's not a lie. All I've done is told you the truth, I swear. Anyway...one of my men intruded and shot Mr. Yagami. And I wasn't expecting it. Before I knew it, I detonated the whole place, but your father was already dying before that. Look...I'm...well, I'm sorry."

Expecting her to shout at him by letting him know how terrible a person he was, he turned away to hop on his motorcycle. If she even wanted to associate herself with him, then she had lost her mind, but she should know this. He practically never apologized to anyone for anything, though in this case, he could make an exception.

Surprisingly, Sayu grabbed his hand to cease his slow trudging. Through his shaggier hair, he peeked at her with incredulity glimmering in his eyes. How could she forgive him? Hadn't he caused enough emotional damage to her? Sometimes, Mello doubted he would ever truly understand women and their mannerisms. Any sane person would have despised him.

She blushed, managing to mutter stiffly, "I didn't want you to be the one to murder Dad... I'm glad you're not. You know, I always thought you were so much better than that."

The two of them silenced themselves in order to gaze at each other while time slowly passed, seeming almost to arrive at a stop. Maybe time should have stopped entirely, Sayu thought, her dark eyes locking onto Mello's light blue ones.

A shiver passed through her body, partially out of the tingling sensation she sensed just by looking at him and partially out of sadness for her father. As grateful toward Mello for bringing her out of ignorance as to his face as she was, it could not cure all of the ills.

"I was actually becoming closer with Dad before he died. I miss him..."

Sayu fought back tears, finding that she could not speak any further. Turning her head away, she wiped at them before a gloved hand forced her gently to look at its owner.

"I know you do," Mello whispered, a little shocked that he dropped his tone so low.

A feeble smile flickered on her face. "Maybe...you'd want to go out with me next Saturday afternoon, if it's not too weird. And I definitely won't be in the mood for coffee."

He bit back a laugh at this very wry joke. "OK, and I can't say I blame you about having no coffee."

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**A/N:  Ah, all's well that ends well. At least this chapter did. I hope to see your reviews, because I really enjoy feedback from you guys. Next chapter will be up Saturday! **


	8. Free

**A/N: Guys, I really, REALLY apologize for not updating yesterday. This chapter didn't upload correctly, so I had to tell site support about it. Luckily, 24 hours later, here it is. Sorry again, maybe it's something with my crappy computer. OK, in this chapter, somebody returns, which makes somebody else rather cynical about it. Find out specifics...right now! XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Death Note.**

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**Chapter 8: Free**

The following weekend could have come sooner—at least in Sayu's opinion. She anticipated her date with Mello, intuitively knowing that this would start her third serious relationship. The other two ex-boyfriends had been old high school flames and no longer mattered. Of course, the blond chocoholic seemed rather different from all of the other guys she had gone with. For one thing, he acted wiser beyond his years for someone about college age. And he treated her as an equal instead of a ditz, a common mistake among her peers.

As much as she looked forward to the date, she would have to wait for longer than originally hoped. It was her frustratingly know-it-all brother who inadvertently decided to interfere with her plans. He called their mother to tell her that he wanted to have dinner with the family for once. Unfortunately, blabbermouth girlfriend Misa was coming, too. Out of all the days, something like this had to happen on this one!

Sayu soon found herself occupied with a boatload of chores that entailed freshening up the house in time for the arrival of the couple. She confessed to herself that she did feel quite nauseated over the whole affair. Why would Light return here now? For years, he worked tirelessly without so much as a phone call to his mother and sister. All he focused on was his job in order to maintain an even more flawless image. OCD couldn't begin to describe him as a person—more like extremely, terribly perfectionist regarding every last detail of every last aspect of his life. She always wondered how he possessed enough patience and energy to accomplish such a feat. If she tried to imitate him (though, when she was younger, she did attempt), she would give up due to too much commitment required. At least she had contacted Mello, who actually gave her his cellphone number, once her mother announced the "wonderful" news.

Currently bored, she kept peering out the window for a sign of a vehicle driving into their driveway while doing her homework. At one point, she quit it altogether to watch for his arrival, wondering if he would still be the same. Though she did see him at the funeral, she opted not to converse with him due to the stupidity she sensed whenever she did talk to him. So, really, she remained unsure of what his demeanor consisted of now. Oh, why did she care anyway? He probably could still make her look bad, even in a tranquil, dinnertime setting. Just when she prepared to lose herself in her bitter thoughts, she glimpsed a fancy black convertible drive up the driveway.

Light's, go figure. It would take more than a few years to eliminate his perfection.

Wearing a fake smile on her face, she descended the stairs to greet them while they did the same in return. Light waved at her casually, whereas Misa suffocated her in a tight embrace filled with fluff and lace.

Almost instantly as the two of them appeared in the kitchen to say their hellos to Mrs. Yagami, the ever industrious housewife finished cooking dinner. Sayu was asked to set the table, which she dutifully executed. Admittedly, she saw this as a huge waste of time that she could have spent with Mello. Without any spoken complaints on her part, she seated herself across from Light and Misa, who gripped his hand too tightly. The always eager celebetante loved nothing more than to prove her strong adoration for her boyfriend. Sayu often noticed, though, how coldly Light behaved toward her compared to other young men and their girlfriends. She would assume that he had realized how lucky he was to have Misa. Most other guys would have cut off their rights hands to be with her. Sayu could never figure out that iciness her brother had.

Conversation started out slowly at first until she thought of a question to ask Light, one of which that would possibly cause him discomfort. Sure, it was immature, but she wanted to catch him off-guard.

"So, Light, when are you and Misa getting married?" she asked breezily, though with a sickly sweet tone that injected vile venom. Well, she didn't exactly hate her brother, only he sometimes frustrated her. Currently, she noted Misa avidly glance at him with the utmost devotion and hope in her eyes. Sayu almost pitied her at the moment due to such an innocent look.

A tiny glint of anger glowed in the corners of Light's eyes. "Well, we haven't made any plans yet, Sayu."

He said this so calmly that she couldn't help but think he resented her for giving that inquiry. Why would he waste energy on that when he obviously could care less about Misa?

Her mother reproachfully glared at her, taking Light's side as usual and appearing ready to scold.

"Sayu, don't ask your brother such personal questions! It's up to him to decide if he wants to take his relationship with Misa to the next level or not. There's no need to pry."

Of course, _she _would get lectured over this. If that wasn't bias, she didn't know what was.

"But, I would have liked to have Misa as a sister-in-law," she responded airily.

The blonde beamed from the compliment. "Thanks, Sayu! I think that's a great idea."

The rest of the conversation fared as boringly as she expected, with her stuffing her face most of the time. Once she finished, she could meet Mello at the bend in the road like they had planned.

Curious as to why her daughter was in a rush, Sachiko questioned, "Where are you going?"

"Oh, I need to do some shopping," Sayu said off-handedly as she grabbed her purse.

Light, her mother, and Misa merely stared at her while she bustled upstairs to put on some make-up and downstairs to ensure her appearance was suitable in the hall mirror. She pursued all of these trivial tasks humming a light, merry tune. If her happiness could turn into sunshine, it would fill up the entire house with its exuberant rays. Of course, only sunset was visible at the moment out the window while the evening stars popped up one by one.

"Isn't it a little late for you to go shopping?" her mother asked, peering over her teacup.

Sayu smiled like a blissfully youthful high school girl. "Any hour is shopping hour."

Giggling at the witty remark uttered, Misa wore a grin from ear to ear. "That is so true!"

After telling everyone goodbye, she happily left the house to go off toward the meeting place.

Her feet seemed to refuse to move as quickly as her mind and heart wanted her to, so she resorted to sprinting down the road. The sooner she reached Mello, the better. Just to converse with him and feel refreshed from that enlightenment she only shared with him always thrilled her. Different emotions came whenever she was with him, ones that were unique in their own right. So, she had to get to him, to go out on their planned date and have something special with him while on that date. Not since high school had total exhilaration set her often daydreaming mind into a frenzy. Around the bend, she noticed him waiting for her, his leather clothing glinting darkly in stark contrast to the dying sunshine rays. He leaned casually against the black pained motorcycle as a greeting smirk graced his lips. Before approaching her, he held out a second helmet to her.

"You'll need it," he told her bluntly. "I figured we can go on a ride through the city, and _maybe _we'll stop to eat somewhere...if we absolutely have to, that is."

Sayu laughed and took the helmet without a second thought. "I just ate, actually. It was a stupid, run-of-the-mill family dinner with the Talented Mr. Light."

Mello snorted half-amusedly, half-disdainfully. "That must have been boring. Your sibling and rival coming back to haunt you again—he brought a girlfriend, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but she tends to be loud and obnoxious. She's all right, I guess."

"All right?" He raised an eyebrow, biting off a chocolate bar he just opened. "I don't know how you stand it."

She sighed with a hint of sorrow. "I'm not sure either. Light gets a significant other...Go figure."

"Look, I'm the only one you should be worried about now," he declared as he placed the helmet on her head.

Immediately after Mello settled on the seat of his motorcycle, Sayu eagerly hopped on behind him. She coiled her arms around him once he turned the keys in the ignition, and they sped off into the oncoming night sky with the shimmering stars. Past skyscrapers, vibrant cars, and brightly colored light of every kind in the city they seemed to go in a rush. It was a magical adventure due to seeing everything around her meld into a vivid blur that she could hardly see through.

Mello didn't stop the motorcycle apart from traffic signals that told otherwise. For the most part, the two of them enjoyed each aspect of the city, such a place of light and color. It was almost dizzying to take in, but she didn't mind in the slightest. The most important thing at present was being with Mello, leaving behind her lousy, boring life and his equally pathetic life behind together.

Eventually, this crazy adventure that served as their date slowed, since he drove her back toward her house at around nine thirty. However, they decided to lay in an open country field, gazing up at the stars and the moon that might have a face etched into its very center. Sayu breathed evenly beside him just as he breathed while they appeared as though they tried to look for themselves in the sky.

She turned her head ever so slightly toward him. "You know, I haven't done this in years. This whole randomly laying outside and keeping still thing—it's been a long time."

"Seriously?" He propped himself on his elbows to gaze at her inquiringly with his blue eyes.

Another low sigh escaped her lips. "Yeah, I've been to busy all this time, I guess."

Moving closer in proximity toward her, Mello almost cautiously touched her face with a brush of his fingers.

He examined her in a very insightful way, noting inwardly to himself how the beams of opaque moonlight played off the dark of her eyes. With a sharp intake of breath, Sayu nearly closed her eyes due to apprehension over her next action. However, she ignored her fear in order to touch the scarred part of his face. It represented his flawed side, a beautiful side yet dangerous at the same time. She softly trailed her fingers along the reddened skin, and he closed his blue orbs against it. To her surprise, he used his arms to somewhat embrace her, to bring her ever closer to him. All the while Sayu continued feeling his face, memorizing every last detail with sense of touch. Their faces were only inches apart, their lips so near to kissing. But, they drew back slightly, unsure of what could happen.

Finally, after basking in their silence, Mello murmured, "You actually care...That's weird but...I like it."

As soon as he admitted this, she wanted him more than ever.

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**A/N: Yes, Sayu's satiric nickname for the ever so charming Light (sarcasm, sarcasm) is based off the movie title "The Talented Mr. Ripley." However, I have not watched that movie, but the title was random enough for somebody's nickname in my opinion. As for Sayu's first, real date with Mello, I hope I didn't put too much cheese in it. But, you know, everyone likes cheese. The French have Cheese Day on February 3rd, and my class is celebrating it by eating cheese. In fact, February 3rd is even Matt's (from DN) birthday. So, yay!**

**OK, that was too random to be believable. Just please review. Sorry again for disappointment yesterday.**


	9. New Acquaintance

**A/N: Well, in honor of Matt's birthday that was exactly two days ago, I decided to put up this chapter. Also, Matt will be included, so all of you Matt fans are happy, I hope. However, this is just a convenience, since I have all the chapters typed. Believe it or not, there are only three left. Yes, three. I can't believe I'm almost done with it myself. Anyway, here's chapter nine.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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**Chapter 9: New Acquaintance**

After that brilliant first date, Sayu was briefly interrogated by her mother, whom she replied to with partial truth that she had indeed gone out with someone. Of course, for his safety, she left out Mello's name in the possible case that it could sound familiar. She doubted it would to her mother, but she simply couldn't risk it. With her response stated, she retired to bed that night and dreamed of her beloved's face, imperfection and all.

Though she envisioned the scar now as something that improved his looks—facial scars were just too sexy to be ignored. Throughout her days at To-Oh, she thought about him along with the moment they nearly kissed. She should have gone with her instinct, not even try to resist it. After all, she desired him just as much as he did with her, so why didn't they kiss? She assumed that maybe fear of what would occur if their love escalated had something to do with it.

Still, they went on a couple more dates to lightly converse as opposed to their rather dark talks during her captivity. At some points, they even caused each other to laugh with jokes peppered here and there. And the gazes they gave were filled to the brim with unbridled passion that they shared so ardently. Once their third date ended, Mello boldly handed her a slip of paper with what looked like numbers scribbled on it. Her heart seemed to take on the form of a feather, for it floated up in her chest with hope. Could this possibly be...?

"It's my current address," he told her softly. "For our next date, I was thinking you can meet me there."

Sayu reacted to this by bestowing a warm embrace to him that enveloped him in a hold that acutely reminded him of one from years ago.

A faint smile remained plastered on his face as he crossed the threshold of the apartment he shared with his friend Matt. The date just went so unbelievably well, he could hardly believe he was lucky enough to have Sayu as someone more than a friend. All his life, mostly in a faraway orphanage, he repelled the girls with his rotten attitude and inevitable mean streak. The goal had been not to develop any attachments to anyone after what happened with his parents. However, in the case of Sayu, positive feelings overwhelmed him. Everything about her practically forced him into a contentment he had rarely known before. It was almost as though she was godsend for his horribly damned soul, and she succeeded so far in "healing" him. And as for how he felt regarding her hanging out with him, he wanted what they had between them more and more. Their dating, he could assume, was very closely similar to his chocolate.

In the mood for relaxation to reflect on his time spent with that intriguing Yagami girl, he lazily flopped down on the beaten old couch and closed his eyes. He replayed the date like the scenes of an esteemed movie, especially the part when she joked that most college kids her age were so intoxicated to the point they would go out with the first people they saw. For some reason, he always found jokes about the idiocy of co-eds hilarious, considering he never went to university and certainly didn't plan on it either. While another smirk curved his lips, Mello heard Matt creep about the place, nearing toward him.

Noticing his friend's closed eyes, the redhead commented, "What are you on, Mello? Because, actually, I need to know and want some of that. It seems to be making you happy, whatever it is."

Usually, Mello would feel like strangling Matt due to the latter's often strange, inaccurate words that threw the entire subject off course. Today his surprisingly good-natured self wouldn't let him do anything that aggressive. So, he chuckled pleasantly while opening his sparkling blue eyes.

"I got a girl now," he murmured simply, coiling his arm around the back of the couch as though Sayu sat next to him right at this moment. "You'll get to meet her next week."

Out of curiosity, Matt leaned over him to make another remark that would lead to the likely answer he searched for. "Don't tell me it's that chick you kidnapped. You seriously got a weird way of nabbing 'em."

Mello let out a sigh. "You're right...but it's not like I planned this."

"Oh, suuure," Matt teased.

Mello bit off a chocolate bar he removed from his pocket stoically, pretending nothing eccentric happened as he casually threw a pillow at his best friend. That guy needed to get off the video games before his immaturity became worse, he thought, or else he, the self-proclaimed chocoholic, held an intervention. He leaned back against the couch, picturing Sayu's impeccably girlish face in his mind.

He told Matt, "You know, she seemed to like me first. Besides, no one cares like she does."

"So you're happy?"

"You can say that," he murmured, slowly drifting off to sleep but not before he noticed that Matt grinned like a creepy Cheshire cat.

"I thought I could charm all the ladies, but you have ability, too."

Mello hushed him up by throwing a buried-in-the-couch portable at him.

Seven days came and went as rapidly as possible for Sayu, who assumed that they would drag along hour by hour until the time of the actual date arrived. But, now, four o'clock drew near as she sprinted over to the bathroom to check her appearance in the mirror yet again. She patted down her hair to ensure for maximum beauty, even running a comb through it. About to open the cabinet where her stash of cosmetics hid, she opted to avoid wearing it at the last minute. Mello would probably call her fake if she...ugh! Since when did she care about what the opposite sex thought of her? She was starting to become as desperate as the type of girls who threw themselves at the sporty guys. Noting her lips pursing slightly in the mirror image, she adjusted her jacket before departing for the city. All the while she wondered what Mello's apartment looked like, not that she made a big deal about money. As she thought this, she took into account a possible roommate.

Sure, she was very well adapted to socially meeting new people, but who knew what kind of people Mello hung around with? He used to lead a formidable group of rough, tough Mafia men. Sayu hoped that if he had a roommate, it wasn't someone who would hold a gun to her face. She would not put up with anything of the sort after she survived kidnapping. Eventually, she found the address written on the piece of paper she held up to her eyes. Once she noticed the numbers on the building, she looked up to discover a lofty albeit filthy apartment complex. Of course, Mello would hardly earn an extensive amount of money, so she expected this. And it honestly didn't bother her one bit. Love hardly consisted of dollar signs and plastic credit cards. All that mattered was a strong, romantic bond that the couple could feel together for as long as possible. Sayu's opinions always swayed this way and would continue to.

She ascended the stairs inside the complex two steps at a time and wandered through the corridor to find the number also scribbled on the piece of paper. This search took approximately thirty seconds before the number 13 showed up right in front of her. She knocked twice, waiting excitedly for her boyfriend to answer it. When she heard the knob twisting on the other side, she grinned from ear to ear, barely suppressing the huge smile that threatened to render her face numb. Seeing his golden head emerge along with his sparkling blue eyes thrilled her on the inside.

"Hi," she greeted, blushing slightly from just being with him again.

"What's up?" His smile was lazy yet incredibly cute while he leaned against the doorway. "Come in."

He pulled her gently inside, which made her laugh due to the randomness along with that action. A redheaded young man wearing goggles greeted them before they sat down on the couch together.

Sighing while shaking his head, Mello gestured over to his friend. "I guess I have to introduce you to my best friend. This is Matt, and I'm working with him to catch Kira."

Matt peered over at Sayu curiously. "Ah, so _you're_ Mello's first girlfriend. He's right about the cute part of his story, that's for sure. I'm kind of glad that this is happening. After all, Mello wasn't really one who charmed the ladies."

Punching him in the shoulder, Mello rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Matt. But, aren't you the one who's only had a couple of girlfriends in his whole life?"

"I'm a spy for you, remember? I don't have time for women."

Sayu smirked, wanting to say something clever. "But, James Bond always has time for women."

Wearing a cocky sneer, the chocoholic looked over at the gamer, who shrugged to acknowledge this fact. Then again, this was only cinematic.

"Well, of course James Bond has time for women. He's British, he's got gadgets, and he's the master of espionage. He's got everything going for him. Then again, I'm British."

Mello scoffed, "No, you're not! You're technically from America like I am. We both grew up in England."

Giggling from the banter between the two guys, Sayu told Matt, "Well, it's nice to meet you, Matt."

"Yeah, I'm just glad that my weirdo friend finally has a girl to keep him company," he commented.

For the rest of the visit, the three young people conversed while watching TV, and they definitely enjoyed the company they shared. Like her old misconceptions about Mello, she found that she had had similar ones about Matt.

He differed from the rifle toting thug she pictured in her mind, for he merely had harmless jokes and very odd comments to offer. Besides, there was nothing tough about an obsessive video game player. Four hours passed until Sayu decided that she needed to go home, and Mello followed her out to the corridor, where they prepared to say their goodbyes.

She scratched the back of her neck. "So...I guess I'll see you on our next date?"

"Yeah, definitely." He leaned toward her and cupped her face tenderly in his gloved hands.

As he gazed at her with passionate blue eyes, he added, "I never told you this before, Sayu, but you're really special to me. I never really had a girlfriend before."

"And I've never had a boyfriend this amazing before," she murmured in response.

Kissing the scarred half of his face, she proceeded to head home.

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**A/N: For some reason, I've always had doubts about Mello and Matt being really British. So, I decided to make them American transfers instead. Hm, not much else to comment here. Well, anyway, next chapter is unforgettable. You guys aren't going to want to avoid reading this. You'll love it. XD**


	10. Confessions

**A/N: I thought you guys wouldn't mind spending five minutes of your weekend reading this recent chapter. I'm not sure when this thing will be entirely done, but it is almost done. Two chapters to go. I know, I can't believe it either. Anyway, in this chapter, you will be pleased with the results. That I am sure. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.**

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**Chapter 10: Confessions**

The upcoming new year fast approached the citizens of Japan, and that meant something special would occur a little after it. At some community center in the middle of Tokyo, there was to be a coming-of-age ceremony for young women who would turn twenty. With this, Sayu had to bid an eternal adieu to childhood innocence and teenage fantasies. Surprisingly, Light had idealized that she be the one to appear on the televised event, since he had the right connections and wished for his little sister to debut as an adult in a massive way. As a Yagami, he doubted that a mere rite of passage surrounded by family and friends would do. He wanted to show Japan how she amazingly bounced back since her kidnapping and failed suicide attempt. He longed to pull some strings in order to present a more content, improved Sayu. Besides that, he felt like he needed to do something for his sister after his prolonged absence.

This explanation he used on their mother due to the manner in which she acted totally bewildered by this suggestion. When his elaboration barely worked, he added that no one would care enough to pursue another kidnapping plot concerning Sayu ever again. This relieved Sachiko considerably, so she accepted the offer, of course, disregarding how the girl herself might feel about this.

All that mattered was that the precious younger Yagami child be forced under the limelight to prove her perfection. A bit on the live broadcast would display her positive attributes rather than her ordeal from months past. Sayu acidly objected to receiving on-air treatment, especially since she wished to lead the somewhat average life she used to think so painfully dull. Her mother insisted on the appearance, though, so she reluctantly agreed. However, she made sure to tack on that she would despise the venture.

To cheer herself up once the argument with her mother ended with that declaration of surrender, she called Mello on his cellphone to vent her frustration. She kept apologizing if she sounded like she complained in an annoying way, but he told her that was not the case.

"It would probably suck being under the public eye like that, however briefly," he attempted to empathize with her, though she knew that he couldn't relate. "I just like laying low myself."

She sighed long and heavily. "Of course _you _would! You have every reason to. My brother Light strikes again, I guess, trying to make me look as perfect as him."

"What if I told you that you were, more so than your brother?" he retaliated on the other end.

Stunned by this sudden question, she stalled on the phone for a few minutes. "Uh...you're serious, right?"

"Of course I am. Look, it's just some stupid TV thing that you'll get through. It will be OK."

With this assurance said, Sayu found that Mello had indeed appeased her with these almost kind words he uttered. Right before the ceremony started on the following week, Sachiko drove her to the building where she would get her hair and make-up done. Normally, she despised cosmetics due to their revoltingly sticky nature, but perhaps she could make an exception. People had informed her of how beautiful she looked, which impelled her to suppose that this wouldn't be so terrible after all. A lot of other young women would attend this event as well, so she had to lift her spirits somehow. As she thought this, someone announced, "Delivery for a Miss Sayu Yagami," and plopped down a beautiful bouquet of crimson roses on the dressing room table. She noticed a smile in her reflection before taking out the attached note that accompanied the bouquet. All the while she reflected on how sweet her boyfriend could be.

Dear Sayu,

I thought that maybe you'd like these with you on your coming-of-age ceremony thing, so you could think of me. I know I'm normally not this cheesy, but you deserve the best, even from some screw-up like me. You'll probably knock them dead out there and leave those other superficial girls in the dust. Remember, you're perfect.

-M

These rather slangish words touched her so profoundly that tears nearly pricked her dark brown eyes. She carefully wiped them away, since her lashes were currently elongated by mascara that was definitely not waterproof. Tucking one of the roses behind her ear, she left the dressing room.

Attired in a lovely, traditional kimono, Sayu certainly impressed the people she passed, including her other beautifully dressed peers. A real smile plastered itself on her face, maintaining its scarlet lipstick shine all throughout the ceremony. On stage, she gazed upon all of the faces that beamed happily just as she did, though she had Mello to thank for that. She even particularly noticed that her mother dabbed at her eyes with tissue paper, immensely awed at how mature her daughter appeared. Sayu grudged the fact that she felt like crying joyously, too. Soon, the spectacular moments of the ceremony ended, and she walked out to the parking lot, where she would wait for her mother. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her, which turned out to be Mello emerging from the nightly shadows. His captivating eyes widened, and he nearly stopped breathing upon seeing her regally standing there.

Regaining his composure, he casually yet sincerely told her, "I love you. You know that, right?"

A vivid red blush spread throughout her face as she nodded, aware somewhat of how far his affections stretched. She didn't expect him to declare such a love for her, though. After all, Mello seemed to be the type of guy who kept his thoughts and emotions to himself.

He placed his hands in the pockets of his shiny leather jacket "So, you want to ditch this place?"

"Definitely," Sayu answered with a bashful grin while she took out her cellphone that she had stuffed behind the white satin obi of her kimono. Briefly calling her mother, she said that she planned to visit her best friend Akita to celebrate her coming-of-age. Sachiko believed her, told her to be home by eleven, and hung up on the other end. Beaming from the success of that little white lie, Sayu proceeded to search for Mello's motorcycle, placing a helmet on her head once she found the bike's parking spot.

Her boyfriend found himself endeavoring to stifle his laughter from witnessing such a comical sight as her dignified self donned in traditional Japanese attire wearing a cumbersome helmet. He strode over to her while she perched on the back of the leather seat.

"Did you tell your mom where you'd be at?" he inquired awkwardly, unsure if he liked that possibility.

"No," she replied innocently, twirling a strand of her brown hair, "I lied."

Smirking at the same moment she did, he patted her on the shoulder. "That's my girl. You're picking up my tricks."

She laughed as he got on the motorcycle to drive them away into the night, which no one would know about except the two of them. Two young people in love—they doubted a while ago that they would end up together.

The slight nocturnal breeze whistled through their hair, the scenery flying by like the fast forward action in a television. Cloudless night containing twinkling stars surrounded them while the moonlight shone down upon them. Tokyo lights from all the skyscrapers gleamed, the city continuing to stay awake even as some people retired for the night. Sayu signed contently, happy just to be with Mello on his speedy motorcycle, which carried them wherever.

Merely sitting behind him on this small, maneuverable vehicle was like an adventure that seemed endless. At first, she recalled how much she hated riding on this contraption, but she loved it now. The fact that she could wrap her arms around him without his objection was a particular bonus. Gradually, the motorcycle slowed and stopped before she could fall asleep. She opened her eyes to see that they halted right by a country lake, probably short miles away from home. After they alit from the motorcycle, they sat side by side near the water, their reflections shimmering.

Mello peered over at Sayu, who seemed to beam glowingly under the cast moonlight that illuminated everything so perfectly. With her dark blue and white kimono creating a lovely sight compared to the moon up in the sky, she was a goddess. Something stirred within his chest when he glimpsed her out of the corner of his eye, a strange emotion he had never felt before. He sight slightly before conjuring a barely visible smile directed toward her.

"You're beautiful," he murmured, subconsciously wrapping his gloved hand around hers.

This compliment caused her to smile too; though, of course hers was much bigger. "Thanks, maybe I should look like one of the dolls I used to play with more often."

He almost suppressed a chuckle, which he let out anyway, for it was full of mirth unlike his other bouts of laughter.

The breeze they had previously felt returned with a vengeance, what with the increase of the speed and the chill. The latter effected Sayu more due to the fact it was cold January, which made her wish that the ceremony had taken place in May. A thin cloth like what her kimono consisted was definitely not suitable for the wintertime. As much as she struggled not to, she shivered from the cold.

She leaned against Mello for warmth and comfort from the bone-chilling wind.

"OK, I'm cold," she confessed, still trembling in her ill-fitting clothing.

Without a word in response, he took off his black leather jacket that he had bought two weeks ago and ensured to show off on their last date. He draped it carefully over her, which she accepted gratefully with a subtle smile. For good measure, he wrapped his arms around her.

"There, is that good?" he inquired before adding once taking in her concerned expression, "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine, because I don't get cold easily. Honestly, you need it more than I do."

"Fine, just don't shiver," Sayu joked, leaning comfortably against his shoulder and felt very warm. In the mean time, Mello wondered what to say next to build an interesting conversation that could strengthen their bond. Keeping that in mind, he knew that this could not be as light-hearted as their past ones on their previous dates.

This one, he planned, might consist of similar material as to that of their personal conversation months ago. He had become so attached to her on such an emotional level that he assumed he should reveal everything. There were some things about him that he refused to tell anybody, even Matt, before. If Sayu still cared about him when he finished discussing personal matters, then their relationship was the most solid type he could ever imagine.

Luminescent moonlight made his blue eyes glaze over in deep thought, which compelled him to tell her in a low tone of voice, "I never got to tell you what happened to me as a kid, have I?"

She glanced at him worriedly, considering she was smarter than she looked and knew that what he prepared to divulge troubled him. Grasping his hands tightly, she gazed at him desperately.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Mello."

Smiling humorlessly, he ran a hand casually through her dark hair. "I'm capable of it. I think I can pull it off."

The smile soon ill-fatedly disappeared before he began his story. "So, I told you I was originally from the United States. I grew up with my parents for a while, and nothing could have been more perfect. Because I was the only child, I was spoiled rotten. My parents loved me, I know they did."

He stayed completely solemn as he stopped speaking for a minute, to allow Sayu to soak up this information. Admittedly, she could not imagine him as a happy person, remembering the moment he first talked to her during her captivity. He had struck her as a bitter, cynical type who despised life itself, representing an enigma with absolutely no hopes.

"We were pretty religious," Mello continued, gesturing to his cross necklace that hung loosely around his neck. "I got this from my mom, actually. We were close, and she was very active in my life...in the few years she was...she was healthy."

A dark shadow seemed to pass over his face, darker than any ones in the night, much to Sayu's anxiety. She hated to see her lover in this much anguish that apparently stemmed from something traumatic in his early life.

To show her undying support for him, she cuddled ever closer as she gripped his hands even more determinedly to the point she thought they would turn blue under the pressure.

He exhaled as though he released something truly awful deep within him. "As I was saying, my mom seemed well-off for a while. But, she got sick one day, so we had to take her to the hospital. It turned out that it was much more serious than we thought. Her doctor diagnosed her with leukemia."

Her breath was nearly taken from her out of sheer disbelief and sorrow from Mello's own misery.

"As she lay on her deathbed nearly a year later, she told me that I could keep her wedding ring to remind me of her. We really weren't all that rich, so that's why she suggested it. Then...she died right after she said it."

"Oh, Mello," Sayu whispered sadly, ready to throw her arms around him. However, he rejected comfort.

"Don't do that!" he snapped. "It reminds me of her...and how she would have comforted me."

He folded his arms across his chest to block out the close proximity between them, huffily sighing from what he just did. To his own shock, he realized that he had tried to push her, the love of his life, away. And that childish fear of losing came back to haunt him now, more than ever. With a better resolve, he continued on the last leg of his story. "Anyway, after that, things only got worse for me. My dad became so depressed over my mom's death that he blew his brains out, because apparently, he thought that raising me was too much of a burden for him."

Holding back his head, he regressed to his old habit of laughing bitterly at terrible things, causing Sayu to furiously interject, "That's not funny!"

"My whole life isn't funny," he shot back with a tinge of misery in his voice.

The ferocious snarl vanished from his face as he calmed himself to normal, or his definition of it. "Sorry, but talking about my past never puts me in a good mood."

She smiled wryly. "I can't blame you."

"After that, a guy named Watari found me and brought me to his orphanage for gifted children. I met Matt there. And the headmaster would make all of us take these exams a lot. I found out I'm not as smart as that Near kid who's been my rival ever since he came to Wammy's. Anyway, I changed my name from Mihael Keel to Mello, since it was a standard thing to do out at that hellish place," he finished, quickly adding, "You still want to have anything to do with me?"

Pursing her lips firmly, Sayu yelled exasperatedly, "Of course I do! The truth is, Mello, that I...I love you. I have for a long time, and you better have meant what you said earlier!"

She said the last sentence like a threat due to the reason that she would hate it if her love was unrequited. For, she cared very deeply about him and wanted him to know that. Meanwhile, he slightly smiled out of relief as he embraced her tenderly.

"I've told you nothing but the whole truth the entire time I've known you, Sayu," he whispered, tucking loose strands of her hair behind her ear. "I love you, too...very much so."

Mello brought her so near to him that her breath caught in her throat as his lips closed in on hers. He kissed her so much more gently than she thought he would as she grabbed his shoulder to kiss passionately back. She then vowed to herself that she would never forget this moment, especially since gazing down at her bouquet of roses helped her reinforce that silent oath. Sayu then looked up at Mello, who looked happier than she had ever seen him, to murmur, "Remember, you're perfect."

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**A/N: I hope my version of Mello's backstory wasn't too tragic for you guys. Then again, look at L's childhood and how tragic it must have been. Still, I really hope I didn't overdo it. But, yeah...I had him so casually say, "I love you" to Sayu, just because I could see him act way more casual about it than most people would. But, I don't know, that's just me.**

**Hm, you know, it's about a week until Valentine's Day, so this chapter was fitting in a way. I hope you guys liked it. XD**


	11. Last Attempt

**A/N: Well, this is the second to last chapter of my story. We're up to the 13th volume, I believe, of the manga at this part in the story. You all know what that means...suspense. What did I do with the characters at the time of the Takada kidnapping? Read more, I beg of you!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Death Note, I'd be rich. But, I'm not rich, so I don't own it.**

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**Chapter 11: Last Attempt**

Mello drove Sayu home after the practically magical moment shared between the two of them, especially that kiss he finally bestowed to her. He would have done it before, if he hadn't been so cautious as to dealing with their relationship. Honestly, he just wasn't used to anyone loving him like she did, anyone caring about him as profoundly as she did. To him, love was uncharted territory, though he had started to pinpoint the locations by now. He realized that he had loved her for months, ever since he first glimpsed her, and it probably happened in almost the same way with her. Before she departed him for the night, she coiled her arms around his neck to purely gaze at him with those doe-like eyes for minutes longer.

"The roses were very thoughtful," she told him, smiling like the angel he knew her to be. "I don't think I've ever had a boyfriend like you. And I never will again, because I love you so damn much that it isn't funny."

In reaction to this, Mello chuckled at the vague joke she cracked toward the end of that delightful little speech. He considered himself the luckiest guy in the world at that moment, so fortunate that he betted Near didn't have a girl to call his. What a confidence boost this gave him!

Lovingly pecking her on the lips, he told her beguilingly, "Well, you're just fortunate that you were persuasive enough to convince me to love you. It didn't take much either, I have to admit."

They both laughed before Sayu reluctantly had to sneak her way into her own house so as not to awaken her mother. As the door closed, shutting him out along with the night, he realized that he had certainly been laughing a good deal more lately. The only regret he possessed currently was that a few hours later, he would have to go out on a Kira-related venture.

This mission, he sensed, would prove particularly tough since he had to kidnap a fully grown woman connected to Kira himself. Who knew if he would make it out alive on this one? Sure, he had survived before, but he had a negative inkling this time. If he died without saying goodbye to Sayu, it would be devastating. Why did it have to escalate now of all times? No matter, he at last kissed her and professed his love to her. The most he could hope for at present was to lure Kira to his trap to eliminate him. Unfortunately, just in case things didn't go as planned...

Once he arrived at his apartment, he grudgingly called Near to discuss plans shortly before he wandered over to the couch to watch TV. The clock on the wall read approximately midnight, so he could catch the news quickly. His next target reported with an air of self-conceit that he detested, definitely someone Kira might go with. He saw the bit with the ceremony and his beautiful Sayu blossoming...

Mello felt a jerking sensation at his arm that really annoyed him, for he was in the middle of a dream involving his beloved girlfriend. He found that he simply could not stop thinking about her since last night. She had looked perfect and as beautiful as ever that he wondered why he hardly went to Japan before her. Unluckily, the tugging persisted, which caused him to groggily hurl a pillow at whomever or whatever did this to him.

"Just five more minutes," he muttered gruffly. "I have to tell Sayu that...that... Great, I can't remember. Thanks a lot, idiot."

"Sayu, huh? You hooked up with that chick, didn't you?"

Fully awake now, Mello cracked his eyes open to see an amused Matt standing above him.

The chocoholic became so vexed that he threw all of the couch pillows at his friend, who artfully dodged them. He proceeded to groan sulkily while glaring accusingly.

"Yeah, I kissed her last night. Got a problem with it?"

The redhead chuckled while shutting off his video game. "I have no problems with it, dude. You know I'm not the jealous type. Actually, I'm just glad you finally scored."

"Can you not refer to it as that?"

"OK, I won't. Listen, that mission won't go through with itself."

Mello sighed as he slapped himself in the forehead. He couldn't believe he forgot that quickly due to his being caught up in the midst of that amazing dream.

Still somewhat tired from lack of sleep, he grabbed the keys to his motorcycle off the table and also opened one of the cabinets in the kitchen to have chocolate for an extremely early breakfast. Matt, deciding to approach him, tiptoed behind him for a friendly sneak attack. He jabbed Mello in the back with one long gloved finger, startling his target.

"Can you go one day without being annoying?!?" he yelled, nearly choking on his chocolate bar.

Matt shrugged out of carelessness. "Nope, I can't. Hey, let's just get out of here, shall we? After all, _you _were the one to plan it all. Don't blow it."

Mello wasn't sure whether to laugh or shout some more at this barely implied joke, so he resolved to chuckle. Who knew if they made this out survivors? One last hurrah for the Kira case would surely cinch it without any problems. Then again, his planning history seemed rather jinxed.

The two young men set out on their mission, going separate ways as previously decided the night before last. If Matt discovered ill luck during his escape after the dropped smoke bomb, then Mello would go as painstakingly anticipated. It had to for the sake of people out there oppressed by Kira, and among the masses included his Sayu. He never revealed that Light and Kira were one and the same to her, aware of the shock value that would cause. Besides, some things were simply better left unsaid to prevent the one he loved from getting hurt. A brief thought flashed through his mind after Matt tossed the smoke bomb while he drove Takada away on his motorcycle. He wondered if Sayu watched all this play out on TV since cameras rolled everywhere, he had noticed.

Truthfully, he wouldn't want her to worry over him due to his overall worthlessness as a person and that he kidnapped someone again. He hoped that she would understand instead of jumping to conclusions, which would end up with her detesting him again. And, at this stage of their relationship, he could hardly afford that, especially since he devised an idea the same night he suggested to his friend the bait plan. This idea, though, seemed so far better and perhaps on the verge of wistfully thoughtful, taking a departure from his gruffness. In the mean time, Mello arrived at his destination of a parking lot with many white vans. The next step in the plan was to nab a uniform of one of the guys who drove vans like these to finish this business once and for all. Before that, he ordered Takada to strip down. She could have hidden pieces of the Death Note within those overly fancy clothes of hers.

Yes, he knew that sneaky little rule that stated that even ripped paper bits from the notebook were just as effective as a whole sheet. He wasn't taking his chances, for captives tended to pull dirty tricks like this. Of course, Sayu hadn't, but he actually liked her at the time of that incident, which he kept disbelieving that it had lead to such true love. Why would...?

It figured he would get distracted at the worst time, though he managed to give Takada a blanket due to his stupid nature of partial mercy. Sayu had softened him, Mello had to admit it. After this whole ordeal ended, he would have to confront her regarding that. The conversation itself would wind up as a joke anyway, on the contrary. Silently, he stepped out of the van they hid in to retrieve one of the uniforms. Those people who made stuff like that better have created one in his size. He always despised his height and often contemplated why he had not grown taller.

Wait, something was seriously up at the moment, according to an instinct that practically screamed an urgent warning. Suppose that Takada willed him out of the vehicle to carry out a plot of her own? She may have the most horrible pride that any self-absorbed woman could possess, but she certainly wasn't stupid. Mello found a record of her online that said she attended To-Oh University, where she received excellent grades. With her sharp mind, she probably caught the interest of Kira. Together, they must have secretly conspired to take out him and possibly Near. That's it, he would intrude on her, despite his cruel yet gentlemanly manner of doing things. He desired to live through this to glimpse Sayu's face, help Matt possibly, and go through life as intended. To leave now was to surrender to death.

Mello slammed the back door of the van open, seething with rage at the fact that that sly woman had nearly tricked him to die of a painful heart attack. He'd like to see her try now!

"Do yo0u think I would honestly fall for your dirty tactics?!?" he shouted, thoroughly enraged that he almost pointlessly died. "Give the paper to me."

Takada proved herself a worthy actress, for she looked up at him with put-on innocent brown eyes that were inferior to his girlfriend's. Obviously, she feared for her life presently. Good.

In a seemingly stunned voice, she stuttered out, "I—I don't have paper. What are y—you talking about?"

He lost his temper. "Give me the damn Death Note paper now!"

Reluctantly, she handed him a slip that spelled out part of his first name.

Closing his eyes to calm himself, Mello felt overwhelming relief wash over him before he smirked, playfully telling her, "Everyone seems to be knowing my name lately. But, that's not going to make a bit of difference, especially in your case."

Laughing bitterly (because he looked down upon mistreatment), he departed for his motorcycle and made sure to lock the van doors. Little did he know that Takada sensed a pang of despair at the moment, one of which that never hurt so agonizingly before. With a match that lay tucked in her coat pocket, she lit another slip of paper. The whole van would later burn down, bringing personnel on the scene. As for the blond chocoholic, he drove away on his motorcycle a free man. Unfortunately, he found out that Matt had died. So, in his memory, Mello would keep living to the fullest, just as his friend would have wanted.

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**A/N: Guys, I'm sorry for killing off Matt (or, I should say, re-killing) him. Because, as much as I hate to admit it, his death caused a distraction for the Kira supporters that ended up being Light's downfall. Or something to that effect. Ugh, but still, I know, Matt's death was pointless. Sorry Matt fans. I hated killing him off, believe me.**

**Luckily, though, our Mello lives! XD I bet you thought I was gonna kill him off, weren't you? Well, I hope this came as a pleasant surprise. Please review.**


	12. Promise

**A/N: Well, here's the last chapter/epilogue. I know people were thinking chapter 11 was the last one, but it wasn't. Believe me, guys, I would never end a story like that without telling you what happened to Sayu. So, it's back to her POV again. This is actually the second story I've updated today, the other being my KH one called "Collide." Check it out if you're into KH and romantic comedies. OK, free advertising here, but oh well. XD**

**Disclaimer: I do own the idea of this portrayal of this awesome pairing of Mello/Sayu. However, I don't own Death Note.**

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**Chapter 12: Promise**

Sayu heard the television downstairs buzz at a low volume the next morning, which dawned the beginning of a new day as well as to remind her she kissed Mello last night. Thoughtfully, she placed her fingers to her lips, barely believing that that happened. Yet, it did, and she felt a rush of joy that she thought must happen only a select few times in a person's lifetime. She quickly dressed to go down the stairs and eat a bowl of cereal, though plans changed. As she poured her milk, she noticed her mother standing in front of the small TV that she overheard earlier. Sachiko cupped her chin in one hand concernedly, staring incredulously at the screen, which caused Sayu to lift her head from her bowl.

"What is it, Mom? Does this have anything to do with the case?"

Cautiously, her mother nodded, seemingly nervous to do so. "These Kira supporters apparently killed a young man."

Her heart sinking immediately, she abruptly rose from the table to peer over her mother's shoulder and saw EMT people take a covered body take a covered body to the hospital then likely to the morgue. One defining clue came in the form of her glimpsing a bright red convertible on the screen. She recognized this flashy vehicle as Matt's, recalling the visit at the apartment. He had pointed it out the window to fondly brag about it from gas mileage to overall appearance. That car he definitely adored, but looking on the TV now, it was no longer the crowning glory it once was. Bullet holes decorated it more than the shiny scarlet paint did, which brought her spirits considerably down. Obviously, this implied that Matt had gone out on a Kira-related spree with Mello. If so, what if her lover died, too?

At that moment, Sayu sensed that all those bullets that had killed the redhead impaled through her own heart. She totally lost her appetite for breakfast, since she worried over Mello's possibly disastrous fate.

"Oh God, why would they do that?!?" she asked in an anguished shout that seemed to originate from the depths of her tormented soul.

Sachiko released a lengthy sigh while closing her eyes. "The world is a crazy place, Sayu."

All day Sayu could not erase that digital image from her mind, trying in vain to forget it as she attended class after class. Why didn't Mello imply that he would do something this reckless mere hours after their date? Had he no idea that he could tell her anything? During the lunch break, she nearly broke down from all these frighteningly posed questions. That night she could hardly sleep a wink due to the incessant tossing and turning in her bed. Restlessness settled over her along with her anxieties that flew excessively in her head like haunting bats. Nothing had ever torn her up this much.

More sorrowful events were to come that week, namely the death of her brother Light that served as the second funeral she observed within two months. For some strange reason, though, her melancholy wasn't as deep as it had when her father died. Toward the end of his short life, Light had acted increasingly detached toward his family. The way his movements and general behavior seemed so calculated, so poised that she wondered if he plotted something terrible behind the scenes. Why else would he conceal his thoughts carefully, judging by the very manner in which he spoke? If Sayu hadn't known any better, she would have suspected her own brother of being Kira, the killer of too many lives. Of course, that was definitely a stretch, considering the extent of her profound speculation. It no longer mattered now, for he lay beneath the earth in his coffin.

The funeral led her to fret over what happened to Mello, who neglected to call her as well as to appear before her. She wished to discover any sign that indicated he survived through whatever ordeal he had to go through. Nights passed in troubled, constantly interrupted slumber, and days elapsed with the definite lack of enjoyment in life. Things could only become worse from here on out, so Sayu dourly thought.

Apprehensive for the future, she often turned on the TV after school to tune in to a 24/7 news network to receive word on Mello perhaps. She realized that she was disappointed that the anchors would discuss other stories instead. She needed the closure regarding her boyfriend to find out if she had to search for him or not. So, she prayed fervently for his health and life. Gradually, the next weekend arrived before she knew it, still without word from him. Determinedly, she wandered over to Tokyo to look for a while.

She could hardly afford to not try to seek him out, for she severely required answers as to that one question bothering her. Unfortunately, she possessed a lowered spirit due to the realistic thinking that at least twelve million people resided in Tokyo. Mello could blend into any crowd that consisted of a thousand citizens, so that Sayu could merely assume that searching too strenuously would prove worthless. As much as she despised to at a moment like this, she stopped at a few stores to browse through clothes in order to distract herself from reality. The shadow of the thought that Mello died on the same day as Matt utterly petrified her. But, not even shopping could placate these quivering nerves that were butterflies in her stomach as well as the somersaults that her heart performed. She practically lost hope as she walked past a dark alley.

"Psst!" she heard someone hiss from that area.

Sayu resolved to ignore the voice that may or may not have belonged to a creepy stranger who lurked in the murky alley. A gloved hand put the option out of her hands as it dragged her to the hiding place. She nearly shrieked until that same hand covered her mouth.

"There you are," the voice murmured. "I thought I'd never find you."

Very slowly, deliberately, she turned around to glimpse the owner of that all too familiar voice. Strands of blond hair brushed her shoulder that told her for certain who the person was.

"M—Mello?!?" She couldn't resist shouting accompanied with touching his face to ensure that he did not originate from her dreams. Once she made her discovery, she felt alleviated tears come to her eyes as she embraced him tightly to the point that she refused to let go.

Unbeknownst to her, Mello smiled slightly upon sensing her tears drip on his shoulder, gently hugging her back. He probably worried her too much, but at least they were together again. After the first blissful moment of reunion, Sayu surprisingly started to pound on his chest.

She shouted half-angrily, half-exasperatedly, "Why didn't you tell me you were all right, you idiot?!? You could have died, and I wouldn't have known it! No, you always have to make me wait all the time, don't you? Ugh, you're such a dummy, you...you...you dummyhead!"

Holding back his golden head, he chuckled due to the horrid inability of his girlfriend to create decent insults. Maybe she should leave that to him, the full-fledged expert.

"I'm glad you missed me too, Sayu," he replied somewhat sarcastically, but he truly was happy.

In the mean time, Sayu cleared her throat due to the excessive scolding she gave Mello while she wiped away the remainder of her tears. A shudder passed over her, though this one spoke of immense contentment that yes, he still lived. After Matt's shooting death that appeared extremely disturbing indeed, she thought that his best friend had gotten shot, too.

She even mentioned this as she informed waveringly, "You know, when I saw those guys on TV take Matt's body away, I thought I'd never see you again."

The light that previously glittered in his alluring blue eyes vanished. She could tell that this passing of his best friend still aggrieved him.

"I can see why you'd think that. I sure miss that kid, the gamer weirdo."

He smirked wryly, leaning against the wall in reflective contemplation.

Sayu wrapped her sinewy arms around him to give him the comfort she thought he needed right now. She nuzzled her face gently into his neck, which he responded to by planting a sweet kiss to the top of her head. Once his lips abandoned that particular spot, she sensed the tingling throughout her entire lithe body. A sigh escaped her lips as she leaned slightly against him.

Mello then told her in a low tone, "I got to admit to you, though, I escaped death yet again."

"You're good at that, aren't you?" she joked, even laughing softly at how true his statement was. He chose to join in her laughter by chuckling again, though he rapidly silenced himself as a rather secretive smile curved his lips. Those alluring crystalline blue eyes caught Sayu by surprise due to the tenderness that shined through in them. She never glimpsed this much love in them before.

And, for some odd reason, she herself could barely understand, the familiar warm blush returned with a vengeance. It seemed to spread like strawberry jam across her face.

He took her hands in his, still smiling that cryptic smile. "There was something else I thought about after I avoided dying. It's actually been on my mind for a while."

"Oh?" Sayu precociously inquired, arching a brow. "What is it?"

Gradually, that gentle smile widened as he dug within his pocket of his black leather jacket with its many silver zippers. What emerged from that pocket's depths...

...Was a dazzling diamond ring that must have belonged to his mother. At seeing the sparkling facets of it, her heart practically skipped two whole beats. Her joyful tears gathered at the corners of her dark eyes, her hand darting to her mouth.

"I think you know what I'm going to ask you," Mello remarked while playfully twirling the ring in his fingers. "I know I'm gonna sound cheesy here, but...Sayu Yagami, will you marry me?"

The shock had died down slowly, but she promptly yelled, "Yes! Did you honestly think I'd say no?!?"

"No," he murmured cockily, his smile contorting into a smirk. "And I think it's time that I get to know your mother. After all, she never knew I was your captor."

"That's true. Oh, Mello, you've made me so happy it's insane," Sayu declared passionately before bringing his face close to hers to kiss him. She had no idea how long this one lasted, but they held each other for minutes on end. At last, when the parted, she made another comment.

"I can't believe I'm going to get married to the guy who kidnapped me in about six months or so. But, yeesh, we got to have the invitations, the food, the cake, and—oh my God, where are we even going for our honeymoon?!?"

Mello shook his head while snorting laughingly, for he knew how crazy yet cool this sounded to him. But, after all, he unexpectedly kidnapped the girl of his dreams...along with her heart.

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**A/N: AWWWWWWWWW, cheesiness! XD Oh well, you guys deserved it, in order to make up for Matt's pointless death that I should have saved him from. I'm still sorry about that, you know. Ah, well...be thankful you guys were spared from what Sayu really said as her last line before I edited it. She had used the title of the story (unexpectedly) to start her sentence. Believe me, guys, it was really lame. So, I edited it, and love the turn-out this time around.**

**And, um, this is the first proposal scene I have ever wrote in my life. I hope it wasn't too bad.**

**Review please, and have a happy V-Day tomorrow! Eat all the chocolates in the world!**


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